A Witch's Heart
by Zyeke
Summary: Staze, a teenage boy, is thrown on a journey that he may not have asked for, but was willing to do. Rated M for safety purposes. Bad at summaries, I know, but I would just suggest that you take a look for yourself before scrolling over this story.
1. Oakwood Village

**Disclaimer: I do not own minecraft. It is property of Mojang.**

Chapter 1

It was a pretty fair day, as far as the weather was concerned. The cube-like sun was shining, there was a slight breeze in the air, the rustling of leaves from the oak trees could be heard, and the sounds of distant barn animals, if you listened close enough. That was my destination. I had been walking for maybe twenty minutes, slowly but surely making my way to Oakwood. A map guided me and marked my progress as I walked.

It didn't much longer, maybe another ten minutes, until I finally saw the cobblestone wall that surrounded the small village of Oakwood. Iron golems guarded the front gate as well as the back gate. More patrolled the top of the walls as well as a few villagers armed with bows and swords. I brought my straw hat down a little to block out the sun's bright rays. I made sure to dress accordingly for my small journey. White t-shirt, cyan colored pants, and blacks sneakers. My skin was kind of tan from working out in the sun back home. I had short, black hair and brown eyes. My leather sack hung loosely by two strongly laced strings on my back and swayed a little as I made my way to the front gate.

When I arrived, the golems eyed me curiously. A cube villager came from a booth just inside the gate. He was dressed in a regular brown robe, his rectangular eyes looking me over. "Well hello Staze. Been a while since you last came here." He said in a gruff voice.

"Indeed it has. A week or so I suppose. How have you been Mark?" I replied back.

"Pretty good. Can't complain anyway. We haven't been attacked by any mobs since you last came. Things have certainly changed since you came and proposed making the cobblestone wall to help with the mob attacks at night. We were barely getting by before you came along. Well, come on in. The golems won't bother you since you're a regular, but I'm sure you already knew that." He said, escorting me through the gate entrance. The village was alive with life. Many cube and human villagers alike were walking through the gravel streets, shopping at the stalls some villager had set up, going into shops, or heading home. Farmer villagers were busy tending the rectangular fields, growing wheat, carrots, and potatoes. Some of them looked up from their work and I waved. They smiled and waved back before going back to their work.

I walked down the gravel road to the butcher's shop. It was a simple setup. Cobblestone foundation built up to the roof, which was made from oak stairs. A patio of sorts made from dirt blocks and wooden fence posts served as a place to cut the meat. A single table that more than a little stained red was set in the middle of the patio, silver cleaver sunk into the wood at an angle. Two windows allowed some light in the back room, but they were tinted so no one could see inside. It would seem almost intimidating if you didn't happen to know the butcher. I walked around to the front and opened the wood door. A noteblock sounded as I opened the door.

Inside was also a very simple set up. A single table and chairs and bench at opposite ends of the shop served as a place to sit while waiting to be served. There wasn't anyone in when I arrived, so I walked straight up to the stone slab counter and waited for the butcher to come out of the oak door where he, presumably, kept the meat.

I didn't have to wait long. It wasn't more than a few seconds before the door opened and he stepped up to the counter. He was a cube villager as well. His white apron was stained a little red, watered down blood running down the article of clothing. He seemed to notice this and grabbed a wool rag on the counter to wipe his apron off.

"Well, nice to see you again Staze. How've you been?" He asked.

"Pretty good Fred, pretty good. Finally got my farm pretty much fully automated. It took a lot of mining and slime hunting, but it sure takes a lot of my work load. How's business?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Could be better, but it's not bad. A visit from you though usually brings good meat and more business to me. You're regarded as a bit of a hero here, you know that?" He said.

I chuckled. "Why, because I helped build a wall?"

"You suggested the idea, you donated iron for the golems, you helped set up security for our village, which has had little problems keeping the night mobs away now. I think they might have even given up. We haven't been attacked on over a week!" He said.

"Well, that's due to the training of your villagers, not me. Anyway, I do have a few things for you." I opened my sack and pulled out a miniature chest. "You don't mind do you?" I asked. Fred shook his head his head and I placed the chest on the ground. It grew to it's normal size and I quickly took out the large piece of cow I'd killed earlier today. The wool was still a little damp from when I'd cut it and wrapped it. I used snow to keep the meat nice and cool for Fred. Ever since I found this village, him and I had become good friends and business partners of sorts. I'd once a week or so and deliver him a good piece of meat for him to sell. He invited me to his house for dinner once and I was able to meet his wife and kid. It was a fun experience and the man looked like he lived a good life.

"Nice and fresh. You kill it this morning?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yep. I also saved you the trouble of cutting it. I know it can be a pain in the you know what sometimes." I said with a smile. "Oh, and this…" I said, reaching in my sack, "Is for your kid, Elijah." I pulled out a small figurine villager boy, carved from oak wood by hand. You can call it a hobby of mine if you like. Around my home in forest, you find lots of things to do. I did my best to get every detail from the head and uni-brow, down the shoes underneath the robe. It did take a little while to make, but the finished product was well worth it.

"Wow! Did you carve that by hand?" fred asked, amazed.

I chuckled at the surprised look on his face. "Well, by knife." I replied. "You think he'll like it?"

"Like it? I'm sure he'll love it. And if he doesn't, then I'll keep it!" He said with a hearty laugh. I laughed as well. Good old Fred, always could make a funny when he wanted to.

"Now, let's see…" He said, pocketing the wooden figurine and examining the meat, "This is a pretty good cut of meat. Make a nice rib-eye. Those are always in high demand, as I'm sure you know. It's cut pretty well from what I can tell. If you weren't such the loner, I'd hire you at my shop." He said with a chuckle.

He wiped his hands on his apron and opened a chest underneath the counter, hidden from view. I could hear him fingering the amount of emeralds for the beef. I knew Fred would always give me a good price for the meat. He always did. When he counted the correct amount, he closed the chest and set the payment down on the counter. 10 emeralds.

"I know it's a little more than you're used to, but consider a thank you for the present for my boy." He said with a huge grin.

I smiled back at him and took the emeralds. "Thank you. I really do hope Elijah will enjoy it." I said as I headed back to the door. I stopped midway and headed back to the counter. "Almost left this here with you." I said with a chuckle, breaking my chest back down to its miniature size and placing it back in my sack. "See you later Fred."

"Have a good one Staze, and thanks again." He said with a smile and a wave.

* * *

I had a few more stops I wanted to make. I needed to go see Ernest, the blacksmith. See if he had any minerals on sale today. I walked to the westernmost part of the village to his blacksmith business. It wasn't more than a five minute walk or so. On the way, many villagers said good morning and other pleasantries which I returned with a happy heart.

Ernest's blacksmith shot was also very simple. There was outside area used for smelting and forging weapons and tools. Furnaces surrounded by cobblestone, which helped to keep heat in, decorated the outside wall of his shop. Two anvils were placed the ends of the furnace wall. You could tell they'd been used by the marks and scratches that made the surface seem worn, but sturdy. A single block of lava was surrounded by stone which served for heating up the metal to be pounded and shaped. Beside his outside work are, was the actual shop portion of the structure, made from wood and cobblestone. There was a single window in which you could spy the assortment of armors, weapons, and tools inside.

I walked through the outside work area and into the shop. Ernest's work was set on display all over the shop. Axes, swords, pickaxes, helmets, chestplates, you name it, he had it. The more rare materials were kept inside glass cases by the counter, where Ernest was standing, cleaning off an iron sword. He hadn't noticed me yet, so I continued to browse around. I was astonished to see that Ernest had managed to aquire a diamond chestplate, which was encased by a diamond sword, pickax, ax, and helmet. Those must cost a small fortune. Even when mining days at a time, I was lucky if I could find any diamonds. Ever since moving out on my own, I had only found enough to make the diamond sword that hung at my side in a leather sheath.

Ernest looked up from his work and placed the sword down on the counter. "Ah! Staze! Good to see you again! How's it been?" Ernest said in a deep voice. He was a cube villager as well, which kind of threw you off when you heard his really deep voice. It made you think he was a human mob instead. He was wearing a black apron that I think might have been white at one point, but all the soot and ash from the job had turned it a charcoal colored black.

"Not too bad Ernest, how about you? How's the business?" I asked.

"It's been doing really well these past couple days. Ever since you came and organized a security force, my business has been very busy and profitable, though rest assured, I still charge reasonable rates for my items." He said with a smile. "My wife's been doing really good as well. 'Bout to have a baby soon. Maybe in another month or so."

I smiled. "Well, congratulations! That's really good news. You know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

"Margaret says it feels like a boy, but I suppose we won't really know until she's ready. Anyway, what can I do you for?" He asked.

"Not really sure yet. I really just came by to pay you a visit and see what you had for sale. Got anything sturdy but not too expensive?" I asked.

"Hmmm." He said as he walked around his shop. "You need armor, weaponry, or tools?"

"A little bit of both, armor and tools. A chestplate would be nice, but I'm not sure I can afford that, so maybe a hoe or ax might due for now. Mine's nearly broken and I've been running low on iron lately."

"Well, I'll tell you what." He said, grabbing an iron hoe and ax from his wall. "I can't due the chestplate unless you got twenty five emeralds, but I have a feeling that Fred didn't pay you that much. So, what I can do is offer you these two tools at a discounted rate of five emeralds, for all the business you brought in for me these past couple days."

"Sounds good to me." I said, taking out five emeralds from my sack. I placed them on the counter and pulled out another miniature chest. "You mind if I set this down?" I asked. He shook his head and I placed it down. It's polite to always ask someone before you place something on their property, so I make to always do so. I opened the chest up and put the tools inside. Then, with a few punches, broke it back down and placed it back inside the sack.

Ernest deposited the emeralds in a chest underneath the counter. "Anything else?" he asked.

"No, that'll be it for now. Until my next visit anyway. Tell your wife, Margaret that I wish her well and congratulations for me please." I said as I headed to the door.

"I will. Take care of yourself Staze." He said with a wave.

"You too Ernest."

* * *

It was getting close to noon and I decided to check the library out. The library was close to the center of the village and was a pretty good size building. It was two stories, supported stone and bricks. Stone pillars supported the balcony on the second floor, which was decorated with tables and chairs for outside readers and there were large letters attached to the front wall, just under the stone roof. _Oakwood Public Library. _I walked past the stone pillars and the double door entrance to get inside.

The inside was pretty decently populated for a library. There were more than a few cube villagers and some human mobs ones in different colored robes, sitting at the tables reading. There had to be at least two dozen large bookshelves just on the first level. But, since I'd been here before, I knew I the book I was searching for would be on the first level and I wouldn't need to go to the second floor this time. I walked up the front counter. A nice human mob girl villager in a white robe and glasses with orange hair and pretty blue eyes, looked up from sorting books in a minecart and walked up to the counter. Her name was Crystal and she was my age actually, sixteen.

"Hello Staze! Nice to see you again!" She exclaimed happily. "How have you been doing?"

"I've been doing alright, you?"

"Can't complain. What can I help you with today?" She asked.

"Well, actually, I need that book I was looking at last week when I was here. It was about redstone and pistons. Do you still have it?" I asked.

"You're in luck! One of the villagers who checked it out just returned it a couple minutes ago." She shuffled through the books in the minecart until she found the book she was looking for. She walked over and handed it to me with a smile. "Here you go."

"Thanks." I said.

"So, how long are you here for this time?" She asked.

"Not long. I'm still debating whether or not to spend the night here in the village before heading home in the morning or just leaving after an hour or so." I said truthfully.

"Oh. Well, if you decide you want to stay, there's plenty of space at my house! My family would love to meet you." She said with hopeful eyes.

"I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't want to be a burden on you or your family."

"Oh, it's no trouble. After all, you're a well known hero around these parts." Everyone kept calling me that, a hero. I wasn't so sure. I don't think I'd done anything really grand except help out the village. I'm sure anyone would have done the same in my position.

"Thanks, but not this time. I have a few more things I need to do and research on this trip. Sorry."

"Oh, ok…" She said sadly. Dang it, I didn't like doing this to people.

"Hey, I'll be back early to return this in the morning. If you want, we can catch breakfast." I said, trying to cheer her up.

She brightened up immediately. "Okay! What time?"

I thought a moment. "Maybe 7:00?"

"I can do seven, sure! I'll see you here then, tomorrow morning!" She said happily.

"Have a good night Crystal." I said, walking back to the entrance of the library.

"Goodbye Staze, I'll see you in the morning!" She said with a big smile.

* * *

_Oakwood Inn._ I stood in front of the inn, examining its exterior. There were many windows, draped over with wool curtains, all the same color. The roof was made from spruce wood and so was the main support. Oak wood was what covered the majority of the inn. There were two small gardens by the entrance, both filled with flowers. Roses, daffodils, marigolds, and a few more I couldn't identify. It had the desired effect though. The inn gave off this cozy and homely feeling that made you want to come inside. So, that's what I did.

I walked through the double oak doors and was deposited right into the bar area. Many men and women villagers, travelers, and warriors were dining and drinking, laughing and belching. Typical bar attire. I walked up to the bar and was met with a young looking bartender. She looked like she was in her early twenties maybe, dressed in a dark green robe. She had nice green eyes and a nice smile.

"What can I get you?" She asked in a calm, but pleasant voice.

"What's on the menu?" I asked.

"Well, currently we're running a special. One night of room and board for three emeralds. Dinner will be a roasted chicken with carrots and a baked potato filled with salt, pepper, and butter. How does that sound?" She asked.

"Can I get some water with that?' I asked.

"Absolutely." She said and I paid her the three emeralds. She got me my water pretty quickly, then disappeared into the kitchen and re-appeared saying my order would be out in a few minutes. I looked around the bar. The whole place was lit by glowstone instead of the redstone lamps most people used for their shops and houses, but that was probably because they were open twenty four hours. A single clock hung in an item frame, showing the time, 6:00.

The bartender came back with my dinner and I ate. The chef had done a pretty good job. I can see why people like to come here and eat. The roasted chicken was perfect, white and moist on the inside, braised and seasoned on the outside. The carrots were ok, but I used some of the butter from the potato to give them a little more flavor. They certainly used plenty of it, that's for sure, but all in all, it was a good meal.

When I had finished my plate, the bartender came and collected it. She gave me a key for my room and told me it was room number 7. I thanked her and headed up the oak stairs at the end of the bar. They used oak fence posts as a rail, which was a pretty smart thing to do, since some of the customers might have trouble controlling their alcohol intake.

Upstairs was just a normal hallway lit by glowstone with some very nice paintings dotting the walls. I walked up to the wooden door with the sign that said "Room Seven" on it. I inserted my key and walked inside. It was a pretty basic setup. One bed, a nightside table with a redstone lamp, a single chest, clock on the wall, and a small desk with a chair opposite the bed. Red curtains covered my window and I decided to keep them closed. I set my leather sack on the floor, underneath the desk and kicked off my shoes.

I grabbed the book I took from the library and began reading from where I had left off last week. I read until my eyes started to feel heavy. The next time I looked at the clock, it had changed from 6:30 to 9:00. I decided that if I was going to get up early, I better turn in now just to be sure I got up in time. I set the book down on the bedside table and knelt down at my bed. I said a small prayer and gave thanks for a good day as well as praying for a better one tomorrow.

I settle down under the covers and turned off the lamp on the bedside table. The room became shrouded in darkness and I closed my eyes, relaxing my body. It wasn't long before sleep came and offered me a nice relaxing rest.

**That's it for chapter 1. I hope you all enjoyed and I'm happy for all the awesome reviews you left on my previous story. If you haven't read it, go read it. It's called "Minecraft Fanfiction: Zyeke's Story. For those who have read it and are reading this, I hope you will come to enjoy this new theme I will be writing about. I know it's the first chapter and all, but if you like it so far, please feel free to his that favorite/follow button in the top-right hand corner of the page and please make sure to leave a review! As I mentioned in my other story, I love reading them. Until next time.**


	2. Attack on Oakwood

Chapter 2

I woke to the moat unpleasant sound. It was the sound of an alarm. Why would an alarm be sounding? I didn't set one. Suddenly, there was a loud crash as an arrow whizzed through the room, breaking the glass window and scattering glass shard all around me. I was awake now. Instantly, I bounced off the bed, grabbing my sword, then jumped out the window the arrow was shot through.

I hit the ground in a roll and landed right in front of the skeleton who was probably the one who shot the arrow. He loaded his bow, but before he could pull the shot, I swept his bony legs out from under him, then pulled my sword from its sheath. A flash of blue was the last thing the skeleton saw, because a second later, its head was rolling down in the dirt. I looked towards the direction of the front gate, which wasn't far at all from the inn. And where there was smoke, there was probably fire. I took off for the front gate.

I was both amazed and horrified. There were so many mobs! Zombies, skeletons, spiders, and a few creepers were streaming in through the gates. The iron golems were being dispatched to help the villagers on the wall and gate battle the mobs, but it looked like there must have been at least a hundred mobs. So, they didn't just stop attacking, they tactically retreated and regrouped. F***! The villagers and golems were scrambled, each battling impossible odds with little order. I needed to so something fast!

Not hesitating any longer, I jumped into the fight. The difference between the villagers and me was that they all had iron swords which, even when sharpened, could sometimes get stuck in the middle of a carcass. A diamond sword, however, makes a clean cut almost every time. And I had sharpened it well before I came to this village. I ran right up to a zombie and beheaded it cleanly, then crouched to the ground to take out a skeleton's leg. A spider tried jumping me from behind, but I whirled around and cut it straight in half. I fought my way to the majority of the villagers and golems, trying desperately to get closer.

"Villagers! Fall back together! Fall back to me!" I shouted.

They didn't hesitate in falling backwards, slowly so as not to be killed by a stupid mistake. When the back end reached me, I shouted to the nearest villager. "Get all the archers behind us and the swordsmen in front!" I shouted, taking out another zombie. "Quickly!" The villagers slowly moved themselves into position, taking care to dodge any arrows aimed at them. "Archers, we'll be the first line of defense. Shoot at anything we miss! Get the golems up here, hurry!" The swordsman villager moved as a group, covering each other's backs as they slashed though zombies and skeletons.

We were doing pretty well, keeping the horde from advancing, but we could only do so much. It didn't seem like the mobs were thinning at all. More just kept coming and coming to fill their dead comrades. And now, creepers were moving up to the front. I just killed two zombies in front of me to be met face to face with a creeper who was starting to inflate! Moving faster than I thought I could, I stabbed the creeper straight through its chest, then twisted and flung it at the horde. The explosion took out maybe ten mobs, but the hole it made was quickly filled back up. There were too many!

I looked back at the gate. More villager archers had arrived and were on the walls doing what they could, but it seemed to make little difference. But I noticed something as I looked. The iron bars that served as the gate's protection were up! They were always down when night arrived to keep out the mobs. Someone had opened them! I roared in anger, using it to fuel my attacks to take down five more zombies and one skeleton that had dared to venture too close. I had to get to the gate and lower it. That was the only chance we had at this point.

I wanted to barge through the mobs with the villagers, but the closer we got to the gate, the more dense the mob horde became. They were practically standing side by side, trying to move forward. That gave me an idea. _I must be completely insane!_ "Stand still!" I said to a villager next to me. The zombie in front of him went for the kill. He didn't get him. The zombie was so focused on the possibility of villager chow, he didn't notice my foot coming towards his shoulder. With a large push, I kicked the zombie to the ground and did a back flip in the air. God must have been watching me and granted me a miracle, because I landed right where I wanted to, onto the villager's boxy shoulders. He stumbled a little, but thankfully kept his balance and I pushed off his shoulder and onto the nearest mobs head.

I moved quickly from head to head, having one goal in mind; make it to the pulley rope that held the gate up. Unfortunately, more of the creepers were back here. As I jumped, I heard several hisses. An explosion went off not more than two feet away from me. I jumped off another creeper's head just in time to avoid that explosion. Two more explosion to my left and my right behind me. Then, there was a whole line of em by the pulley. And they had just started expanding. With one mighty leap, I launched myself as high and far as I could go, sword raised to cut the rope.

The explosive force of the creepers flung me against the cobblestone wall _above_ the pulley. I slammed into it hard and nearly dropped my sword. I held on tight and cut the rope when gravity decided to work again. There was a large rush of wind as the iron bars of the gate crashed down into the dirt, crushing any unfortunate mob that happened to be in its path. There were angry hisses, moans, and groans from the mobs outside.

Now, all the mobs trapped inside by the gate focused their attention on me. I barely dodged an arrow shot point blank from a skeleton. I cut through its spine to take it down, then spun around to behead two more zombies. I didn't hear the spider jump me from behind and before I knew it, I was on the ground, my sword knocked from my hands. The spider bit down on my shoulder and I yelled out in pain. I backed up and rammed it against the hard stone wall as hard as I could. There was a sick _splat _sound and I felt cold liquid run down my shirt and back. Yuck.

My shoulder ached, but thankfully, it wasn't a poisonous spider. But now I was surrounded by mobs without a weapon. I raised my hands defensively, but I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to keep this up. Then, I heard the repeated sounds of mobs dying at the front of the remaining mob horde. The villagers! They were heading my way. I had to hold off until then.

I took out a nearby skeleton by literally dislocating his head, then taking it off and stole two arrows from him. It was better than nothing. Six zombies charged me. I stabbed the first two, and then did a sweep to knock the third one down. One of the three tried to jump on my, but I kicked him away with both legs. I got up and quickly stabbed the fifth and sixth zombie. Suddenly, a large pang of pain burst into my shoulder, the good one, not the one with the spider bite as an arrow pierced through. I let out a pained yelp and fell to my knees. I threw the arrow at the skeleton and pierced its skull. I was shot again, this time through my chest. All my breath left my body and I fell to the ground. Somehow, I was able to get the skeleton that had hit me with the other arrow.

I was bleeding bad and it hurt to move. The mobs had thinned greatly, but there was still one zombie that wasn't occupied with the villagers. He locked eyes with me and let out a beastly snarl. He dashed forward and I tried to crawl backwards, but all I ended up doing was put myself fully on the ground. The zombie leaped in for the kill and I closed my eyes, waiting for the killing blow.

Next thing I knew, I heard an arrow fly and strike the zombies head. It let out a small groan before dying. A human mob villager hurried over to me.

"Hey! Are you ok?" He asked. That was kind of a stupid question, so much so that it made me laugh a little, which caused me to wince in pain. He went to examine my wounds, but I stopped him. I didn't want anyone touching them. They hurt enough as it is. I noticed the mobs had scattered and I remembered that this village had a back gate as well as a front one.

"Go! Take the villagers and secure the back gate! Do it!" I shouted at him. He was only about my age and I guess I must have scared him a little by the tone of my voice because he took off to the other villagers, saying he would bring help as soon as he could. I could hardly hear him anymore. I think I lost a little too much blood. My vision was blurring and the last thing I thought about before I passed out was that I was going to miss breakfast.

* * *

I awoke to aches and pains throughout my body. I wasn't by the gate anymore. It looked like I was in someone's bedroom. I was in a bed that was a little small for me, but I wasn't complaining. There were a few paintings hung around the bedroom that looked hand painted. I know all the paintings in minecraft are hand painted, but these ones weren't the default minecraft painting options. There was a painting of a meadow with a few animals next to a majestic lake, a painting of a jungle temple, and one of what looked to be the village of Oakwood from a bird's eye view. They were all incredible! There were two double chests on both sides of the bed, small dresser against the wall to my right with a mirror attached to it, and a small desk with a wooden stool to my left.

I moved to get up and was instantly greeted with pain from my chest and shoulders. I placed my hand against where my wound should have been to find that both my shoulder and chest had been bandaged. The bandages appeared to have been changed recently because they were only slightly tinted red. The arrow had been removed from my chest and it sat next to me on the bedside table, dried blood coated on the tip. I tried once again to get to a sitting position. I was successful, but only just. I had to move all my weight off my chest so the wound wouldn't reopen. I moved my back up against the wall, which made a slight thud as I moved up against it. I hadn't realized I moved that fast and put that much power into getting up. I must be getting better.

I heard the doorknob click and I almost grabbed for the arrow on the table next to me, but I figured it wasn't trouble if the person had taken the time to bandage me up. I waited for the door to open fully and see who was my savoir this time. To my surprise, it was Crystal who walked in, still dressed in her white librarian robe. Her hair was a bit of a mess, but it kind of made her look cute in a way. She still had her glasses on and she was carrying a bottle of water and more bandages. She nearly dropped them both when she saw that I was sitting up.

"Staze! Oh my gosh, you're ok!" She said, hurrying over to the bed and wrapping me in a hug. I winced a little from my injuries, but I hugged her back. The thing was, she didn't want to let go! I let it continue for another fifteen seconds before I spoke.

"Um, Crystal?" I asked.

Her eyes went wide and she got off me faster than lightening, her face tuning an unnatural shade of red. "Oh, sorry. I just got caught up in…how are you feeling?" She asked, trying to cover it up.

"I'm alive. I guess that's something." I said with a chuckle. "Did you do this?" I asked, gesturing to my bandages.

"Oh no. My mother took care of your wounds. They're asleep now though. The village was attacked, but we were able to hold it off. It's never been hit like that before though. Never so brutal or fierce. I wonder what caused them all to rally up like that. I've never seen so many mobs all concentrated in one place." She paused for a minute, like she was gathering the courage to ask something. "I came to check on you, and since I was up before anyone else, I figured I would change your bandages out for new ones. But since your awake…I'd like to…ask for your permission first." She said shyly.

Now it was my turn to be embarrassed. I'd never really had a girl dress my wounds. It was always something I had to do for myself. Sure, Crystal's mother dressed them the first time, but I was unconscious then. I felt myself turning a little red and I mentally shook my head. _Come on man, she's just caring for your wounds. Take it easy._ I nodded and she went to work.

She carefully unwound all the bandages. Now I could see, to the full extent, the damage caused by the mobs. The spider bite made two large holes in my shoulder, followed by a bunch of smaller looking marks, probably from all the other tiny teeth. The arrow that struck my left shoulder left a pretty decent size hole. It looked brown and a little disgusting as it scabbed over, trying to heal itself. The arrow that pierced my chest left a reasonable size hole as well. It was a miracle that it struck nothing life threatening. I seemed to have received quite a few miracles in last night's battle. Or at least, I think it was last night.

Crystal wet the bandages with the water bottle she came in with before placing them over my wounds. It felt weird to have a girl touch me, even if it was just for bandaging me up. Her touch was very light and cool. The water only added to that effect. The bandages stung at first when they came in contact with my wounds, but I did my best to hide it, more for Crystal's sake than mine. The last thing I wanted her to do was feel that she had hurt me. When she finished, she placed the glass bottle on the table next to the arrow and sat at the opposite end of the bed. We were both silent for a moment, but I broke the silence because I had a really pressing question.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

"All night. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably the early morning hours. Maybe 5:00?"

"Woah, that's quite a bit of time." I said.

"How did you even end up with all those injuries? You looked like you were placed in the thick of it." She asked. So, I told her about the attack, from the time I woke up in the inn to the point where I passed out.

"Wait…you did what?" She exclaimed when I told her about the part where I hopped from mob head to mob head to get to the pulley rope."That's was so brave!"

"It nearly got me killed, but it got the job done. I suppose it was God's grace that allowed me to live. I'm just glad the village is safe." I said.

I inquired about the village and if she knew about any damage or worse, casualties from the battle. She told me she knew that a few houses were set on fire, and a few cube villagers whose names I didn't recognized had perished during the fight, but other than that, everyone else survived and there was no other structural damage. I suppose that was good at least. I was told that the inn caught fire as well.

"Crap! I left your library book in the room I was staying in!" I exclaimed

"Don't worry about it Staze. It wasn't your fault. We might have another copy at the library, which thankfully wasn't torched. I apologized even though it was futile, I still felt guilty about it. Crystal kept reassuring me it was alright, but stopped speaking for a moment after that.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nothing, a stupid thought really…" She said.

"What is?"

"Well, it just occurred to me that we aren't going to have breakfast." She said with a chuckle.

"And why is that?"

She looked at me wondrously, then got off the bed, stammering. "You can barely stand Staze! What makes you think you're going to get off this bed, let alone walk?" She half shouted at me.

I simply smiled. "Like this." I whispered to myself quietly so Crystal would not hear. "Lord, please grant me the strength to rise from this bed and walk." I moved my legs over to the side of the bed and, holding my chest wound with one arm, used the other to push myself upright. I felt a tiny twinge of pain, but I did not waver. I stood up straight and took a step towards Crystal, the another. Each step was easier than the last and I moved to the end of the bed, in front of her, without difficulty. Crystal was stricken with disbelief.

"How…" She asked, her mouth open wide.

"Belief in God is the most powerful thing a man can have. He has the power to grant me anything I ask, but I try not to ask much of him often. He is more just than even the most noble of men and the reason I live like I do is so that I may be ready to move if He should call on me. That is why I choose not to stay here and instead live out in the forest, always preparing and ready." I said.

"Who is this God?" She asked.

I smiled at her. "That is something we can discuss over breakfast."

**That's all for chapter 2 guys. I realize that some of you might be a little irritated that I've stopped writing, but I have decided to start again, but it will be a little different this time than my first story, so be prepared for that. Some will like it, some won't. Also, I may decide to stop writing again, should I be convinced that I am still not doing what I intend to do or if the Lord points it out for me. Leave a review on your thoughts and any questions you may have please. If you must write two for both the question and thought, feel free. Until next time.**


	3. Returning Home

Chapter 3

It was still quite early when we stepped out of Crystal's house. The sky was just starting to lighten into its early morning shade of blue. The village didn't look too bad really, but maybe that was because some repairs had been made while I was asleep. The houses looked stable as far as structure went, but there seemed to be blocks missing at certain, unimportant spaces. The road still had some holes from creeper explosions and you could still see a few arrows lying around from skeletons.

We walked down the gravel path road. I wanted to check on the inn to see if there was any really big structural damage. Surprisingly, the inn looked fine. It looked just about the same as it had when I came yesterday morning. The only difference was that a section of the upstairs rooms looked black and covered with ash. Even so, it was only a small portion, maybe one or two rooms were torched, three at most. The inn looked open and I suggested we eat here.

We entered through the double doors, which had been recently upgraded to iron doors. The minute we entered, everyone in the restaurant turned to look back at us, well, mainly me. I must have looked like a wreck, but I felt ok. Nevertheless, the other staff members and people here stared at my wounds. It was actually starting to make me a little uncomfortable. I decided to brush them off and find an empty table for us to sit.

Slowly, everyone went back to eating or whatever they were doing. Though, I could still catch a few glances at me when they thought I wasn't watching. What was up with everyone?

I felt a tug at my pants from below. I looked down to see a villager kid who was maybe six years old. He was dressed in wool robe clothing and had dark hair. "Excuse me, Mr. Staze. Is it true that you were the one who faced almost a hundred mobs to close the front gates and save us?" He asked in a high pitch voice. After he spoke, everyone in the inn quieted down, everyone aware and listening for my response. Was this what everyone was wondering, the reason why everyone was looking at me strangely?

"I just made sure no other mobs could come in, that's all. The villagers were a great help too. They held off the mobs while I went to shut the gate. They were also the ones who saved me in the end." I said to the little boy.

That seemed to do it. The whole darn inn starting wooping and hollering, cheering my name. A few came over to shake my hand and pat me on the pat. A few of the kids asked for my autograph, which was king of shocking, to me at least. I signed the pieces of paper they gave me. They smiled and thanked me happily before seeking out their parents again. The whole commotion lasted only a few minutes, but the awkwardness that came with it, made the minutes seem longer. I didn't really feel I was the one who needed praise.

A waitress came over to us cheerily and took our orders. I ordered pancakes with eggs and toast. Crystal ordered eggs, sausage, and bacon. I asked her about the cost the meal, but she shook her head. It was on the house for us. Direct order from the owners.

"Well that was nice of the owners." Crystal said. "Everyone thinks you're a hero!"

"Yeah, well…I'm not really the hero type. I don't think these people should be praising me, honestly." I took a breath. "I wish I still had my sack that I brought with me. There was a book in there besides yours that I think would be best to be donated to the library." I replied.

"Oh, and what book is that?" She asked.

Then, I spent the next ten minutes or so touching on Genesis. The story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. The story of Cain and Able and how Cain showed the negatives side of human hearts. By the time I finished with that, the waitress had come back with our food. My gosh, it looked great!

"Oh Staze, we were able to save this from the fire." The waitress said, placing my sack that I'd lost on the table next to my food. I thanked her immensely and she smiled at me before walking off.

The sack was a little black and charred, but it looked ok for the most part. I opened it up and shuffled through the contents, trying to find what I was looking for. I felt the hard cover bindings and pulled it out. I handed the book over to Crystal.

"Read this. Then, put it in your library when you're finished so others may read it. I have another copy at home, so you don't need to worry about that." I said.

"The Bible?" She said questioningly.

"An old man I met while traveling gave it to me. It was a reward for helping him get to a village. I think it was Lowwater or something like that. Anyway, I learned a lot from reading that book. I suggest that you read it first, but then allow everyone to have access to it at the library."

"Okay, I will. Thank you." She said, placing it on the booth beside her.

We dug into our food. I had no idea how hungry I was until I took the first bite. I chowed down on my pancakes, but soon realized I was eating too fast and slowed down to enjoy the meal. Crystal laughed and I joined in. I asked Crystal about her family, hobbies, and if anything exciting happened, besides the surprise last night attack. She talked happily about her love of reading, fishing, and surprisingly enough, archery.

"My parents gave me a bow last year for my birthday. Once I learned how to use it, I've practiced everyday whenever I find the time to do so." She said.

"Wow. That's amazing."

"Well, what about you? What do you do to keep busy out in the wilderness?" She asked me.

"Well, not much to tell really. I hunt often and tend to my multiple small farms. Although recently, I was able to make a piston automated farm thanks to that book I've been reading from your library. I'll sometimes take walks or jogs through the woods. Occasionally I whittle out wooden figurines for some of the villager children. That, mining, and keeping up with my combat skills is all I really do." I concluded.

"Sounds exciting." She said.

We talked for a bit longer. It was around 8:00 when we finally left the inn. I felt much better with some food in me. The sky had brightened since we entered the inn. Now was probably the best time to start heading back home. I told Crystal it was time for me leave. She tried to convince me to stay one more day to make sure all my injuries healed, but I told her not to worry about it. I felt fine.

"When will you be back?" She asked with a sad face.

"Maybe in a couple days or so. Maybe another week. I don't know. It all depends." I said truthfully.

"Ok…" She said, turning to walk away.

I walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. I turned her around slowly and pulled her into a hug. She pulled me closer to her and we help each other close for a heartfelt goodbye, for now. "Thank you Crystal, for helping with my injuries. Please extend my thanks to your family also." I said.

"I will. Please come back soon Staze." She said, pulling away, still holding my hands.

"I'll try not to be." I said and I meant it. Crystal was truly one of the nicest people I knew.

With that, I turned towards the gate and began my long walk home.

* * *

It was cold and damp. The cave barely lit with redstone torches, casting a dim glow about the expanse of space. The small cavern the witch lived in was connected to a mineshaft system, close to Oakwood. The mineshaft was abandoned by the villagers, who deemed it too dangerous to mine there. They were right to think so.

In this massive cave system, lived a well revered witch. Her name was Selene. She lived in a circular cavern space about ten blocks high. Bookshelves filled with many ancient and mystical books lined the walls. Brewing stands were placed in between the bookshelves on top of chests that were filled with a wide variety of potions. A small bed was placed in a corner, near a spruce wood table that held her most valued possession. Her glass crystal ball.

She was standing there now, peering into it. She was already aware that her attack on Oakwood had failed, though the mob leaders would be here shortly to tell her. As if she needed anyone to give her information! She watched closely at the reoccurring events of the attack on Oakwood. The plan had gone accordingly. The mobs went in quick, causing the villager soldiers to become scattered and confused. The mobs were having little trouble moving them back.

But who was this? A teenager, about her age. Short black hair, brown eyes, tan skin, dawning no armor, just a white shirt and cyan pants, had shouted something to the villagers, making them all regroup and move into a formidable formation. He fought with the villagers on the front line, using a diamond sword! They were doing very well to keep the mobs back, but more were coming in through the gate to take the places of those who had fallen. It seemed that despite this one boy's attempt at a defensive position would fail anyway.

But what's this? He looked towards the gate and shouted something to a nearby villager who was about to be tackled by a zombie. The boy was not only able to kick it down, but landed on top of the villager he had shouted to. Then, he started…jumping on mobs! It didn't take a genius to figure out what his target was. The pulley that held up the gate. He was going to sever the rope! Many creeper explosions tried to knock the boy off his path, but it seemed like nothing would deter him. With one final leap, and a force of creepers below him exploding, he was propelled to the cobblestone wall, slamming into it. Even so, he was able to cut the rope and close the gates, cancelling the movement of the rest of the army behind it.

What surprised her even more was that he was still able to fight until he was saved by another villager. Who was this boy? And how had such a beautifully planned attack been disrupted by this one person? Was he a villager human mob of the town? Possibly, but she doubted it. She had watched this attack happen three times now on the surface of her ball. She still couldn't believe it.

Suddenly, the sound of a minecart traveling down the rails of the abandoned mineshaft could be heard. She wasn't afraid. She knew who was coming. A minute later, her guests had arrived. The ones in charge of the attack had arrived. There were three men and two woman. One man and women were skeleton human mobs, one man was a zombie human mob, and the other two were creeper human mobs. She moved away from her crystal ball and turned to face her visitors.

"Ma'am, the attack…" The skeleton mob man started.

With a flick of her wrist, he was thrown against the wall, gasping for breath, grasping desperately at his neck. "Yes," She said with a cold voice. "I know the attack has failed and were you not the one in charge? Such mistakes are not tolerable. You will now be removed from your position."

With another flick of her wrist, the man's head snapped and he fell to the ground dead. All the other leaders of the attack now stared at her, wide eyed and fearful. Selene walked up to the human mob skeleton girl, who was now starting to tremble ever so slightly. She smiled at her.

"Congratulations Skull. You've just been promoted. You will take charge of the new mission I have for you. Be sure that it succeeds." She gestured them over to her crystal ball. She waved her hand at it and the image of the battle disappeared and warped into a new image. All eyes were focused on this boy that was walking through the woods. "This boy was the main one responsible for the failure of the attack. I want you, Skull, and Valerie to gather up a force of mobs to neutralize him. Capture him if you can. I'd like to have a chat with him. If not, you know what to do. The rest of you will gather another force to attack Oakwood again. You, Trevor," She said pointing toward the zombie human mob, "will be the one to lead the attack. Do not fail, or would you like to end up like your friend over there?" She asked gesturing to the dead skeleton mob. He shook his head fearfully. "Good. You all know your assignments. Go!"

They all left quickly. Selene glanced at her crystal ball once more. She observed the boy that walked through the forest, unaware of the pressing danger she had inflicted on him. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you." She said with a smile.

* * *

It was about noon before I finally arrived back at my house. It was good to be back. My house was a very simple build. Spruce logs marked the edges of the house, the rest was composed of oak wood. Glass windows were placed a few blocks away from the door on either side and were present all around the house except at the back. Spruce stairs were placed upside down below the window to act as windowsills for the potted plants I kept outside. A vegetable and wheat farm was to the right of my house, constantly lit by glowstone I had purchased from a vendor in Oakwood. Best investment I ever made honestly. Oak fence posts surrounded my house and the farm, torches placed at certain intervals on the pegs A single gate allowing entry at the front. I walked through.

The vegetables and wheat had grown fully as I expected they would from my absence. It never took long for food to grow here in Minecraftia. I walked over to a single button on a wooden block I placed at the front of my farm. I pressed it and instantly, all the dirt blocks rose and broke all the wheat, carrots, watermelon, pumpkins, and potatoes that were grown. I picked up the two baskets I always had sitting by the button and proceeded in picking up the wheat bundles, carrots and potato crops, and miniature melons and pumpkins. I washed them in the nearby small stream I kept for growing sugarcane. That, however, had to be cut by hand. I placed the baskets by my door before heading back to the sugarcane farm. Using my diamond sword, I cut off the two stalks above the bottom ones, then washed them as well.

I brought the sugarcane and baskets of wheat and vegetables inside. My house wasn't a mansion by any means, but it was more than enough space for me. I had a decent size kitchen area with a crafting table at opposite ends of the walls, followed by three furnaces on each side. Two cauldrons in the middle of the furnaces doubled as a sink as well as a cooking pot. Brewing stands were placed on top of the furnaces. I never understood their functions, the stands, but they looked like a good decoration, so I kept them on the furnaces. Two double chests were at opposite ends of the kitchen, one for food, the other for dishes. I put the wheat and vegetables inside the chest labeled "food" by a sign.

The floor of my house was a checkerboard pattern of white and black wool. Besides the kitchen, there was a table and chairs composed of fence posts and oak slabs for eating, a couch in front of a fireplace for reclining after a hard day's work, two small tables at each end of the couch. A couple bookshelves were placed to the right wall of the couch and a wool rug lay in from of the couch. It was a very cozy setup; at least, that's what I thought. Near the back of my house was a stairway that led upstairs to the attic and my bedroom.

There was still some work I needed to do. I opened another chest I kept by the dining room table labeled "tools". I pulled out an iron ax. I needed to chop some firewood for tonight. I exited the house and moved to the closest part of the forest I lived in. I lifted the ax, took a deep breath, and started to chop.

* * *

I didn't return home until nearly dark. It didn't take a lot of time to cut down the tree, but to cut the blocks I received into small logs for a fire, that took a bit of time. I also worked on improving my hidden defenses I had installed near my house. It never hurts to be prepared for anything.

I decided that beef stew sounded really good tonight. I moved one of the cauldrons over to the fireplace and by using flint and steel to light paper, was able to finally get one of the logs to catch fire. I went to work in the kitchen, chopping carrots and potatoes with a knife from one of the crafting benches on a cutting board make from oak slabs.. The beef I'd got from my hunting trip a couple days ago was still good, so I chopped the meat up into bite sized pieces. After everything was cut and ready, I carried it all over to the steaming hot water in the cauldron. With one fell sweep of the knife, the carrots, potatoes, and beef plopped into the cauldron water with many tiny splashes. I took an oak spoon that hung by the fireplace by some string and an iron nail and stirred the soup.

I sat on the couch and picked up the book that lay on the table next to it. It was my other copy of the bible. I've been reading the New Testament lately, still trying my best to understand the word of God and what he wants from all of us. I'd only received the books from the old man a few months ago, so I still had a lot of reading and studying to do. I read and got up to stir the soup at different intervals. It was amazing to read this book. People used to call on the Lord to heal them and those who believed were healed. I read another passage from Matthew 6:25 that fascinated me. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" It may be a little hard to wrap your head around, but now that I think about it, God has provided the tools for me to farm as well as the seeds for crops. Have I worried about my life and these things? I may have before, but now I hope I do not.

After I waited and stirred for about 20 minutes, I tested the soup. It was done and it didn't taste half bad. I grabbed a bowl and spoon from the kitchen. Using a wooden ladle I kept at the opposite end of the fireplace, I made myself a bowl and sat at the table. I quietly gave thanks and ate slowly. I was satisfied by the time I finished. I took my bowl over to the other cauldron and washed it with a sponge. Once I had dried it with a wool towel, I place it back inside a chest labeled "dishes".

It was dark outside and I was starting to get a little tired. I grabbed my bible off the couch and started up the stairs at the back of the house. I opened the two trap doors and climbed up into the attic. It was nothing special. The attic was made of spruce wood since the ceiling was spruce and so was the roof. A single bed was placed next to two bookshelves that I used as tables as well as holding any informational books I needed. A few rugs were placed on the wood floor and chests were placed around the room for extra storage space. Three windows jutted out from the roof, allowing me to see outside.

I flopped down onto the bed, pulling some of the covers over me as I read until I grew so tired that the words started to blur on the pages. When that happened, I closed the book and set it on the bookshelf to my right. I said a small prayer before closing my eyes and waiting for sleep to come.

* * *

Running. That was all that mattered now. Why were they chasing her? Even now. She could hear their shouts and dogs barking in her direction, leading them to her. She had been running through this forest for what seemed like hours. Her dress snagged under her feet and she fell to the ground. Desperately, she scrambled to get back and her foot. Once she was successful, she took off running again.

She was beginning to tire. The dogs sounded like they were getting closer. Her lungs were already begging her for air, but she kept running. Who knows what they would do to her if she let them catch her. The forest all looked the same. No distinguishable landmarks. What if she was running in circles?

Before she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she saw it. Light peeking through the trees. New hope and energy flowed through her and she made her way to the light. She burst through the trees to find a small house surrounded by oak fence posts lit by torches. Who would live all the way out here? It didn't matter. Right now, all that mattered was getting away from them.

She ran to the fence posts and burst through the gate. She made her way to the front door and started pounding on it. She tried to door, but it was locked somehow. She pounded harder, faster. _Please! Someone, help me!_

* * *

I woke with a start. There was a pounding noise coming from downstairs. I woke up immediately and grabbed my sword by my bed. Had a zombie somehow gotten past the fence? How? I quickly made my way down the stairs. The pounding came harder and faster now. I rushed over to the door, sword raised, ready to kill the zombie as soon as I opened it. I put my hand on the door and took a quick breath. I swung it open and was about to swing my sword, but I stopped it in mid-air.

There was no zombie at my door. A girl who looked to be about my age in a purple and black dress shrieked and fell backwards onto the ground. I must have startled her. She looked frightened, her green eyes filled with fear. Her dress looked tattered and dirty as if she was trying to get away from something, or maybe, someone. I lowered my sword slowly, thinking this girl wouldn't harm me. She seemed to relax a little, but then I heard the sound of dogs barking along with audible shouts. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but the girl in front of me quickly threw herself at my feet.

"Please sir." She pleaded. "Let me in. Don't let them catch me."

**And that's it for chapter 3. I hope you all enjoyed and please don't forget to follow/favorite as well as write a review for any comments, questions, or concerns you may have. I will do my best to answer any. Until next time.**


	4. Raven

Chapter 4

I didn't have a chance to answer. I looked towards the trees and the shouts. Cube villagers and human mobs came out of the forest. Some carried torches, some carried swords, pickaxes, even shovels. Anything that could be used as a weapon. The wolves that had been barking came up to my fence and kept barking, but did not dare to enter further. These villagers couldn't be from Oakwood, could they? If so, what were they doing here? Why were they chasing this girl?

I closed the door behind me and helped the girl to her feet. I motioned for her to stay behind me as I approached the fence. The villagers stood at the gate, but didn't enter. I stared at the crowd. There had to be at least fifty villagers.

"What's going on here?" I asked them. "Why are you chasing this girl?"

"Are you with her?" Someone shouted angrily.

"Let us have her!" Another shouted. This started up a clamor among the villagers.

"Quiet!" I shouted at them loudly. My sudden outburst actually silenced them. "Now, whoever is in charge of this…procession, would they kindly step forward and please explain to me what this is about?" I said calmer than my first outburst.

A human mob villager stepped forward from the crowd. He was young and fit; I could tell that by looking at him. He had short blond hair, blue eyes, and wore a standard villager robe. He cleared his throat before speaking in a loud and gruff voice. "That girl that is hiding behind you was responsible for the attack on our town. A few villagers had reported seeing a witch the night of the attack near the front gate before the mobs attacked. One of the villagers found this girl slinking along the back wall gate late this evening. We believed she was the witch and wanted to bring her in for questioning. When our security force went to apprehend her, she fought back and ran. If this hasn't proven her guilt, then I don't know what will. Give her over to us so that she may be tried and executed." He finished. This started another uproar in the crowd and a few of them made a move for the front gate.

I wasn't too far from the gate and neither was the girl. I raised my sword to the villagers who were about to enter. They froze in fear. Most of the village knew me and the skill I possessed with a blade. "Come onto my property with intent to harm me or anyone on it and I promise you, you will not walk away in one piece." I said to them. They backed away from the gate and I turned to face the leader of this mob. "Now, do you have any proof that she was involved with the attack other than the fact that you believe she is a witch? Further more, what evidence do you have that she is a witch." I asked them, skeptical.

"She used a potion to attack one of our villagers who was trying to apprehend her. To be able to make a potion, you must be familiar with the magical arts." He said.

"Well, to be fair, you were trying to apprehend her without any explanation. I don't blame her for retaliating." I said back.

"Are you saying you will side with a witch? Staze, our village is grateful for all that you've done for us, but if you're going to stop us from arresting this witch, then we will be forced to arrest you as well. You cannot possibly win against all of us. Please, surrender her now." He said. The crowd agreed with him, shouting and making a huge ruckus.

This was getting out of hand. If I don't think of something quick, I'd have to face a whole mob of villagers. _Lord, please, help me. What should I do?_ I thought about it and then, suddenly, I knew what I had to say. "How about this. Since you have no proof that she was involved with the attack on the village, but you do have proof that she is a witch, why fight me and risk injuring your men? Here is what I suggest. Let this girl stay with me for a week. If she is guilty, then will she not try to attack your town again? If she posses magic, it would be easy for her to overpower me right? But, if she is innocent and nothing happens to your town during that week and there are no sightings of her within that week, she will have proven that wouldn't you say? Do I not make sense?" I asked.

The crowd talked amongst themselves, thinking about what I said. The leader of the mob also seemed to be thinking. I held my breath. After about half a minute, the leader spoke. "Alright Staze, what you say is good. We will go back to Oakwood, but should something happen to the town and should a villager see her before the week is up, she will be arrested and executed. Also, depending on the situation, you may be arrested and sent to trial." He turned back to his men and motioned them away. "Goodbye Staze. I hope you are right, for your sake." He said before leaving with the mob. They disappeared back into the forest and soon the light from their torches faded into the darkness. I let out a long sigh. Then, I was tackled to the ground.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!" I heard the girl say as she was squeezing the life out of me.

"Hey!" I said, startled. I was finally able to take in more of her appearance since she came to my door the first time. She wore a long dark purple and black dress. Her hair was long and brown. She was white, almost pale, and her eyes were green like emeralds. She kind of looked the part of a witch to be honest. All she was missing was the hat. She was still hugging me, kind of tightly too. I gently pulled her arm away and helped her to her feet as I rose.

"What's your name?" I asked the girl.

"Raven." She replied. "What's yours?"

"My name is Staze. I imagine you're probably tired. You look like you've run a long way." I said, gesturing to her clothes. "Let's go inside and see if we can't get you cleaned up." I said, leading her inside. I sat her down in front of the couch while I searched for a clean wool cloth in one of my chests. Once I found one, I wet it with water from the cauldron. With a tiny squeeze to get excess water out, I walked back over to Raven.

"Do you want to wash your dress out? Or do you want me to…" I tried asking.

"No, I can do it thank you." She said, taking the cloth from me.

I walked back to the kitchen, pulling another wooden bowl from the dishes chest. "You hungry?" I asked.

"Yes. I haven't eaten since noon or so." She replied softly. I made her a bowl of soup with a wooden spoon and set it on the table next to her. "Thank you." She said gratefully.

I sat on the couch and waited while she ate, a couple questions lingered in my thoughts, but I didn't want to pester her about them until after she had finished eating and had calmed down. She had cleaned most of the dirt off her dress and face. She actually looked really pretty, the light of the room bringing out the features on her face and hair.

I got up, clearing those thoughts from my head. I honestly didn't know if I could trust her yet, even if she didn't look threatening. I busied myself with saving the rest of the soup. I took the cauldron and opened one of the chests above my usual kitchenware ones. These chests were fitted with glass that lined the inside of the chest to make sure the food never came in contact with the wood. Snow was crushed and placed underneath the glass to keep the chest cold, which helped me preserve food for a little while longer. I poured the soup from the cauldron inside the chest above the dishware chest and shut it. It should last another couple days in there.

Raven had since finished her soup and I took her bowl. I quickly washed and dried it, placing it back in its chest, then went to sit on the couch next to her. There was a bit of an awkward silence as I decided what the best way to approach the topic would be. "Raven, can you tell me what happened and why those villagers were chasing you?" I asked gently.

"They…thought I was a witch." She said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"And are you?" I asked with the same tone. She looked up at me, close to tears, which surprised me a bit. "Hey, don't cry." I said. "We don't have to talk about it tonight. But, I will need you to answer my questions sometime tomorrow. There's a river not too far from here if you want to get cleaned up more in the morning. It's about a hundred blocks or so northwest from here in the forest. You can take the upstairs bed and I'll take the couch. I'd prefer to sleep down here anyways after tonight. If you decide to go to the river, just take a spare change of clothes from the chest up there. They might be a little big but it's better than nothing." I said, getting up and offering her my hand to help her off the couch and show her upstairs.

She wiped her face with her sleeve and took my hand. I led her upstairs, through the trapdoors and into the attic. She walked over to the bed while I stayed on the stairway. She sat down and looked at me, a little confused. I started to leave.

"Wait!" She said. I stopped and moved back up a couple steps. I looked at her expectantly. "Why are you doing this for me?" She asked with a sincere face.

I chuckled. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…" I whispered softly to myself.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." She said, puzzled.

I smiled at her, which seemed to surprise her for some reason. "I just felt that it was the right thing to do. You seem like a decent person, so I decided to help you. Nothing more than that." I said. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

And with that, I closed the trap doors behind me and laid down on the couch, hoping to catch more sleep than I had the first time.

* * *

Raven sat on the stranger's bed, still puzzled. Did he not know that she was a witch? For centuries, people had hunted down, hated, and burned witches like herself. Was he a warlock? Is that why he took her in? She recalled seeing brewing stands, but no bottles for making potions. Very strange.

And what had that meant, what he whispered? _For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in…_ What had he meant by that and why was it significant? Too many questions crossed through her mind.

Wait, what was that on the bookshelf next to her? A book? Witchcraft maybe? No. It was called "The Bible". What a strange name. Had he quoted something from the book? Maybe she should read some of it before going to sleep. She didn't think the boy who took her in would mind. She took the book carefully and turned to the first page. _In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…_

* * *

Sunlight burst through the window, blinding me temporarily as I opened my eyes. It was definitely morning. I rose from the couch with a small groan, rubbing my eyes trying to rid myself of my morning grogginess. It cleared up quickly and I was able to think and recall last night's events. I wondered if Raven was awake yet, or if she was even there at all. I hoped I hadn't made the wrong decision when I stuck up for her.

The villagers had claimed she was a witch, but I didn't know it for sure. She hadn't tried any magical spells on me that I knew of, nor had she tried to attack me in any way. The perfect time to have done it would have been last night while I was sleeping, but I was awake and alive. I thanked the Lord for his guidance.

My stomach grumbled, telling me it was time for breakfast. There was plenty of stew left over from last night and I'm sure Raven would be hungry when she awoke. I grabbed two bowls from my dishware chest, retrieved the ladle from by the fireplace, then moved to the other chest I had stored the soup in the night before. With a few scoops, both bowls were filled and I restarted up a fire and hung the bowls well above the flames to warm them. I had made hangers for my bowls from string and iron. A single hook with three strings wrapped and knotted at the top came down and made a webbing of sorts for the bowl to rest in. An iron rod served as the perfect spot to hand the bowls. I used it slow roasting meats whenever I felt the need to.

A few minutes later, the bowls were heated. I took them off their hangers. I nearly dropped one. They were _hot!_ I barely made it to the table without spilling anything. Note to self, next time use a wool cloth or something to act as a buffer. I went and got two wooden spoons from the kitchen and placed them in the bowls. It turned out to be perfect timing because when I reached the table, I heard the trap doors above me open. Raven's footsteps were descending the stairs and I pulled out a chair next to me out before sitting down.

"Good morning." I said as I sat down. Raven approached the table and sat down in the chair I had pulled out for her.

"Good morning." She said softly. She picked up her spoon and scooped herself some soup on it.

"Careful, it's still a bit hot." I warned. I blew on my spoonful before putting it into my mouth. It wasn't as good as last night. Still good, but nothing's ever as good as when it's first made. We ate in silence for the most part, the only noises being the soft swallowing of soup. I still had my unanswered questions from last night floating through my mind, but I still think it was too soon to ask them. I figured I'd know the right time to ask.

"Staze, I have a question for you." Raven said.

"Hmm?" I said, about to eat another spoonful of soup.

"Are you a warlock?" She asked.

I nearly choked on my soup! In fact, I think I did a little, because the next thing I knew I was coughing up a storm. Some of the soup broth must have gone down the wrong pipe. Once I was able to minimize the coughing and speak, I answered her.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"In your kitchen," She said, pointing to the weird stands I had placed on top of the furnaces, "You have brewing stands which are used to make potions. Making potions requires at least a very basic knowledge of magic."

I was a little shocked. I had no idea they were magical items. Personally, I didn't like magic or anything revolved around magic. The reason was because the bible specifically forbids practicing of the magical arts. It doesn't matter if it is used for good or evil. This may seem a little wrong to you, but let me point out something. In the olden days, people used to perform miracles in God's name. Most people, who use magic, even for good purposes, use it for their own gains and many become corrupt. Even those who do not become corrupt by human standards, they are still using a tool that God had not created to perform a task, whatever it may be.

"What? Those stands are magical items? I never knew. I honestly found them in a mob dungeon inside an abandoned mineshaft. They were inside a few of the chests. I nearly got myself killed trying to get the treasure inside those chests. The mob dungeon was a skeleton mob dungeon. Dealing with more than two of them at a time is not easy. I used minecarts to get the stands out of the mineshaft and back to my house. I just used them for decoration in my home, but I had no idea what their use was." I said defensively.

Raven seemed startled at my response. "I see. So you hate magic as well. In that case, you would have been better off not helping me at all!" She rose from her chair quickly. She started to turn and run, but I was faster, shooting up out of my seat, grabbing her shoulder with my hand. "Wait…" I didn't get the chance to finish.

Raven muttered something in a language I didn't understand. Suddenly, I was thrown off her violently, my back slamming against the wall. I got the wind knocked out of me, fresh pain spiking throughout my back. Raven ran towards the door. Despite the pain in my back I stood up and chased after her. If she left, not only was she in danger, but so was I if she made her way back to the village.

I burst out the door. Raven was getting close to the fence gate. I picked up my speed. She took a second to fiddle with the latch before unlocking the gate, which gave me the time I needed. I reached the fence as soon as she got through the gate. I jumped onto the fence post and launched myself off it with one leg, clearing the rest of the distance to Raven. I tackled her down to ground, the two of us rolling on the flat earth.

Thankfully, when the rolling stopped I landed on top. Quickly, I pinned her arms and legs down. She struggled, but I was stronger. She thrashed her arms and legs, trying to break free, but I held fast. I had to get her to calm down! Then, she started speaking in that language again! _Oh s***! I don't have anything to stop her from casting the spell! Unless…oh you've got to be kidding me!_ Having exhausted all my options, I slammed my lips onto hers to stop her from finishing her spell. Her eyes went wide with shock and I pulled away, knowing I only had seconds to speak before she tried something else.

"Listen to me. I know you're scared and I understand why. But, no matter what my beliefs may be, I have no intentions of harming you. I suspected you were a witch the moment I defended you and now you've confirmed it. Even so, that doesn't mean I'm so filled with hatred that I'm like those villagers who wanted to kill you! Now…please…calm down." I said softly.

She looked up at me with an even more shocked face, but then she turned her face to the side, her eyes half open. Her body relaxed under mine as a sign of surrender. I sighed in relief. "Thank you Lord." I whispered to myself. I slowly got off her and sat cross-legged on the dirt. Raven sat up as well, though now she seemed a lot less hostile. She turned to look at me.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why what?" I asked questioningly.

"All my life, the villagers and human villagers have hated me and my kind. What makes you so different? Why have you tried to help me? Even when I attacked you, you still ran after me. Not to kill me, but to stop me from leaving. You hate magic right? And I am a witch. Why do you act like this?" She shouted at me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.

I wasn't ready for that and I lost my balance, falling backwards onto the ground, Raven landing on top of me. New pain shot up my back. I grunted, wincing slightly. Raven looked at me shocked, then something in her eyes softened. It was like someone flipped a switch. She had gone from frustrated and angry to worried and caring.

"You're hurt!" She exclaimed. "I…"

"It's ok. It's just a scratch." I said, trying to calm her. "Listen, I don't know what you've faced or experienced in the past, the people you've met or what they've done. But I can promise you, I'm not like them." I paused for a moment. "The town of Oakwood is waiting for the chance to get a hold of you because they think you were involved in something that happened a couple nights ago. From what I can tell, I don't think you were involved, but if you go running away and one of the townsfolk finds you, he or she probably wouldn't hesitate to bring you in. I know I may be asking a bit much, but I'm asking for you to trust me. Please, let's go back inside."

She stared at me, probably debating whether or not she could trust me. To my immense relief, she got off me and offered me a hand to get up. I took it and she helped me up. Together, even though Raven may have been a little reluctant, we walked back through the fence gate and towards the house.

**That's it for chapter four everyone. I hope you've all enjoyed and please don't hesitate to hit that follow/favorite button as well as leave a review if you have any comments or concerns. Until next time.**


	5. Surprise Attack

Chapter 5

Raven helped me back inside, despite my numerous reassurances that I was alright and that my wound just needed to be bandaged. She sat me down at the dining table while she went upstairs to the attic. She came back downstairs with bandages and water. I questioned how she knew where they were, but it seemed obvious since I labeled all my chests. She probably just looked for the one labeled "Medical Supplies". She set the bandages and water on the table. She also placed a shirt on the table. What was the shirt for?

"Staze, can you please…remove your shirt." She asked shyly.

"Uh, it's alright. I can bandage myself. I've done it multiple times." I said with a nervous chuckle.

"No, I was the one to cause the injury. So, I feel I should be the one to help heal it." She said with a small ounce of authority. I looked at her eyes. Her resolve wasn't budging. I sighed and took off my shirt. She actually gasped. I never changed the bandages that Crystal applied the other day, so they were a tiny bit stained. "Oh my gosh. What happened to you?" She asked, stunned.

"I'll tell you about it after you apply the bandages. These wounds," I said gesturing to each one with my hand, "Are pretty much healed. They've probably all scabbed over by now."

She moved over to my back. I heard her try and stifle another gasp. With the shirt off, I could feel blood oozing slowly down my back. She used the shirt I already bloodied and carefully wiped away the blood. Then, after applying water to the bandages, she asked me to lift up my arms. I complied and she wrapped the bandages around my back and chest. She tied it off tightly when she finished, causing me to grunt slightly. She gave me an apologetic look and I told her I was fine. She sat down in the chair across from me, waiting for me explain my earlier injuries.

"Do you know why the villagers wanted to arrest you?" I asked Raven. She shook her head. "Well, the night before there was an attack on the village of Oakwood. Somehow, the front gate had been opened and close to a hundred mobs, from what I could tell anyway, entered the city with more slowly streaming in from the gate. I was asleep when the breach happened, but I was woken up by a skeleton firing an arrow into my room from the ground. Now that I look back on it, I think it was a fire arrow. Anyway, I joined the fight at the front gate. I was able to get the villagers into a good defensive formation and we stopped the advance of mobs, but more were still coming from the gate. I got this," I gestured to my right shoulder, "When I finally closed the gate. A spider jumped on me from behind and bit down into my shoulder. The wound on my left shoulder and chest were from arrows fired by skeletons as I tried to fight my way back to the villagers. I survived though, by God's grace and thanks to a human villager."

Raven stared at me wide eyed, almost unbelieving. I chuckled at her expression.

"That's probably the only reason the villagers let you stay with me instead of taking me down and arresting you on the spot last night. Fear was probably a good motivator, but I think the real reason why they let you stay was because of what I did for their town. And I'd do it again if I had to without any regret."

I reached for the shirt on the table and pulled it over my wounds, covering them up once more. I looked at Raven, checking for any wounds on her person. She didn't look like she had any. More than anything, she was just dirty. Raven noticed that I'd been checking her over and blushed, turning her head away.

"What are you looking at?" She asked shyly again.

"You're kind of…dirty." I said with a chuckle. "Stay here a minute."

I went up to the attic, heading for the chest labeled "Clothes". I opened it up and grabbed a pair of blue pants and a black shirt. It probably wasn't what Raven was used to wearing, but I didn't have anything else besides pants and shirts. I then moved to another chest labeled "Hygiene". After some searching there, I found what I was looking for. A bar of soap.

I headed back downstairs where Raven was, still in the same seat I'd left her in. I walked up to her and held out the clothes and soap to her. She looked a bit confused. "Like I said last night, there's a river just northwest of here, about a hundred blocks. You can go get cleaned up if you'd like." I said.

She blushed slightly, looking over her appearance. "Thank you." She said, accepting the clothes and soap from me. "Are you…coming with?" She asked, more than a little nervous.

Now it was my turn to turn red. "No, no. I need to take care of a few things. The farm needs to be harvested and replanted, as well as more firewood needs to be chopped for tonight. I'll go wash up later." I said quickly.

She laughed. "Okay. I'll see you a bit later then." I nodded and she walked out of the house.

* * *

Raven stepped out of the small fence post gate and started walking in the direction Staze had told her. She still had so many questions about the strange boy. Why had he helped her? What was motivating him? He wasn't a warlock nor had he associated himself with anything magical other than the brewing stands he claimed to have found. He seemed to make it perfectly clear that he wasn't involved in the magical arts or like them. Yet, he was still helping her. Why?

Could it have something to do with the book she was reading last night? She wasn't able to get through a lot of it, but she was able to get halfway through the book called Genesis. At least now she knew what this "God" was that Staze kept referencing. This "God" seemed wise, merciful, and just from what she'd read so far. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from which God told them they would surely die, he still spared their lives. The story of Cain and Able was horrifying, Cain killing his younger brother Able over jealousy. Even then, God still spared his life, but cursed him as well. Perhaps Staze was trying to live in the ways of this "God"?

She pondered this as she walked through the forest. It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze in the air, which made the square leaves on the trees sway softly, and the neatly packed grass felt good under her bare feet. She walked with a smile on her face, enjoying the peace of the forest around her. After a few more minutes, she heard the sound of rushing water. The river that Staze told her about was a pretty decent size. Enough for three people to fit in and still have some room left over. With a quick look around, she undressed, leaving her clothes on the river's edge, and slowly slipped into the water. She shivered upon getting in, but her body adjusted to the sudden temperature drop after twenty seconds or so. She reached for the soap by her clothes and began to wash herself.

* * *

Harvesting the farm didn't take nearly as long as I made it out to be. But of course, I already knew that. Ever since I was able to auto harvest my farm by using pistons, the process has become much faster and easier. I'll have to make a couple chests for any extra food I won't need. I'm sure the Oakwood villagers would be happy to take it once I decided to head back there. I brought the food in the baskets I'd made and, after putting away the food I'd need for tonight and tomorrow morning, began searching for any empty chest to use as food storage for Oakwood. After a quick check upstairs and in the kitchen, there were none to be found. I guess I'd have to make one.

I quickly gathered the wood I'd need from upstairs and came back down to the crafting table in my kitchen. I arranged the eight wooden planks in a square, leaving the ninth middle space empty on the crafting table. Very suddenly, the eight blocks moved towards one another to the middle of the table and morphed themselves into one darker wooded chest. It never failed to amaze me at how this was done, but it only seemed to work if certain items were placed on it correctly. So, some items had to be made by hand, others could be made instantly by the crafting bench. Honestly, these nifty tables saved me a lot of time and energy when I first started building this house and they still have helped me with numerous projects I've undergone and am in the process of. This crafting bench surely was a mystery in itself.

After having distributed the food in my new chest, I went upstairs to the attic to get more planks and a stick. After placing them on the table in the correct order, I was able to make three signs. I labeled the new chest "Oakwood Food". Satisfied with my work, I took inventory of the firewood by the fireplace. We had enough for tonight and maybe even tomorrow, but I think I'd like to chop more today and spend the tomorrow in the mines. Always trying to search for that rare gem, the diamond.

I grabbed my ax from where I left it last, which was thankfully still by the fireplace. I picked it up and examined it. The ax handle was made from oak wood and the blade from iron. I still looked alright. I don't think it needed repairs yet, but a little touchup in the next couple days wouldn't be a bad thing. With a nod to myself in conferment, I swung the ax over my shoulder and grabbed the leather sack that hung by the door as well as my diamond sword.

The sun was now overcast in the sky and its beams greeted me thoroughly as I opened the door. It was probably close to midday now and the temperature was surely rising. I'd better get done as quickly as possible. I walked through my oaken fence gate, savoring the fresh air and natural beauty of the outdoors. There was a slight breeze in the air that made the small grass sway as well as the leaves on the trees. I walked to the edge of the forest, to the nearest tree. Readying my ax, I swung with precision and force, making a considerable crack appear on the tree block. Another swing and there was a small _poof_ and the block fell to the ground as a miniature oak log. I picked it up and put it in the sack. This process was repeated until the whole tree was gone. After replanting the sapling, I would move on. I usually fill the sack only halfway before calling it a day, but if I was to mine tomorrow, I'm afraid it would have to be a full load.

I was on my fifth tree, when suddenly, I heard a twig snap. Instantly, I dropped my ax and pulled out my diamond sword, its blue glint making it appear to glow in the sunlight. I didn't say anything, every sense on alert. Surely, if it was Raven, she would have said something, but then again who else would it be? A mob wouldn't dare try attack during the day, would they? After a whole minute of silence, I resheath my sword, taking it as an animal just wandering by.

I bent down to pick up my leather sack. So sooner had I done so, then an arrow rushed over my head, striking the tree. No way! I jumped to the side quickly and unsheathed my sword a second time. However, before I had time to attack, another arrow sliced the side of my cheek from behind me.

"Drop your weapon!" I heard a male voice shout.

"We'll shoot you otherwise." A feminie voice added. Feeling cornered and trapped, I complied. I slowly set the diamond sword at my feet. "Kick it away." The same voice shouted. Reluctantly, I did as I was told. _Lord, please give me strength and wisdom to face my attackers._

Out from behind two trees, a man and a woman stepped out from their hiding spots. The man was dressed in a plain gray wool shirt and thick gray leather pants. He had dark hair and green eyes. The woman was wearing a similar shirt, but instead of thick pants, she was wearing a gray leather skirt. She had gray brown hair and gray eyes. Both had bows drawn with an arrow ready to fire. Who were these people?

"Who are you?" I asked them. "Why are you threatening me?"

The girl looked like she was about to actually answer, but a swift glare from the man across from her silenced her. The man then turned his attention back to me. "It is not important. What is important is that right now, you are surrounded. You may not see them, but there are plenty of mobs hidden in the forest all around your house. That aside, you have two very capable bowman in front of you with good marksmanship skills. I suggest you come with us quietly and without struggle." The man said in a clam, but demanding tone.

I looked at both of them closely. They didn't look like they were bluffing, but then again, that hardly meant anything. I took a step back towards the tree I was cutting. They both pulled back their arrows. "Don't move!" The girl shouted.

I raised my hands up in surrender for the moment, trying to formulate a plan on how to get out of this mess. If I could only get back to my house… "What do you both want with me? If what you say is true and I am surrounded, then what's the harm in telling me? What am I going to do? Run away?" I asked them, hoping to receive an answer and stall for time.

The man smiled. "Why not? We, along with two other human mobs, have come here to collect you. We will be taking you…"

He was interrupted by a pattering of feet on soft grass. "Staze! Where are you! Run!" Raven burst through the trees, right in front of my two kidnappers. Both their eyes went wide with shock, like they recognized Raven. They lowered their bows ever so slightly. Now was my chance. Quickly, my hand shot to my leather sack that I used for carrying my wood. With a hefty throw, I flung the sack in their direction. It hit the man and by immense luck, a block flew out and hit the girl square in the face. Raven had now realized the situation, but before she could react, I grabbed her arm and tugged her with me towards the house. We full out sprinted and by the time we reached the gate, I heard the man from before yell one word.

"Attack!"

Instantly, mobs appeared out from behind numerous trees in the forest. Skeletons, zombies, spiders, and creepers were all starting to move in on all sides towards the house. An arrow hit by the door as I rushed Raven into it before closing it behind me just in time to have another arrow thud into it. Quickly, I ran over to the fireplace and starting punching a block next to the stone. Once broken, a single lever appeared underneath. I flipped it immediately.

Nothing happened for a few second, but soon explosions were heard all around the house. From the windows, I could see mobs being blown apart, halting their advance. Next, dispensers came up from the ground three at a time at certain areas around the house. A second later, they all started firing rapid fire, completely annihilating the mobs outside, causing them to fall back a little.

I burst into the kitchen, grabbing two leather bags I kept in one of the furnaces I never used. You can call me crazy later, but right now, all these precautions were paying off. Those defense dispensers and tnt had taken a long time to setup and they were doing good at holding off the mobs, but I knew it was only temporary. Eventually, the dispensers would run out of arrows and the tnt would all but be depleted soon. I probably had close to a minute.

"Grab food and anything else you can!" I said, throwing a bag to Raven, who looked startle and shocked at how in just a few minutes this peaceful place I lived in had turned into a battleground. Nevertheless, she sprang into action, already going through chests in the kitchen. I ran upstairs, grabbing everything important. Medical supplies, any tools I could, and lastly, my bible. I rushed back downstairs to see that Raven's bag was pretty full. The explosions were dwindling as were the arrow shots from the dispensers. It wouldn't be long before the mobs charged again. I ran to a corner of my house and dropped the leather bag. I quickly punched out the oak block, revealing a hidden ladder that went down into the depths.

"You first." I said, gesturing to the ladder.

Raven went down quickly and I soon followed, placing the oak block back in it's place. With any luck, they'd search the place before tearing it up.

The light level dropped down to pitch black almost instantly. We both had to resort to feeling for the next rung as we made our way down. Raven touched the ground first. I knew only because of the soft thud she made when she hit the ground. I followed soon after. I felt around the wall until I found what I was looking for, a button. I pressed it and the room was flooded with light. The sound of pistons clicked and pushed glowstone out from behind the gray stone wall.

We both turned away from the suddenly bright source, waiting for our eyes to adjust. We were in about a 4X4 space I had dug out myself. A 2X2 tunnel led out from here, lit by glowstone and torches, a minecart resting on a pre-laid track. This is where I mined when I found the time to do it, but I had also made it into a possible escape route, should anything happen. I was happy I made took the precaution. Raven looked utterly amazed at the layout I had fashioned here. A couple double chests laid about, holding minerals, gems, and/or stone. A couple furnaces with bags of coal next to them for smelting were scattered about the small space, as were two crafting tables. That's not what I was concerned with right now though.

Another button lay on the opposite wall. I already knew what it was for and I walked up to it, filled with dread. I stood in front of it, eyes closed and head held low. "Lord please forgive me. I pray that you please have mercy on my enemies as I send them to you now." I pressed the button.

Raven looked at me strangely. "What do you mea…"

Suddenly, there was a loud boom that even shook the stone underground at this level. The hole we had used to escape was quickly filled with rubble, vanquishing any hope of anyone coming down here or us going back out. I wiped a small tear from my face.

"Let's go." I said softly, making my way to the minecart.

Raven stared at me, stricken with disbelief. "You…" She couldn't say anything else, but she wasn't coming with me to the minecart.

"Yes, I did. I don't feel any happiness or joy about it, but it had to be done. I'm sorry Raven, but we need to get somewhere safe now. We'll talk about this later." I said, pleading with her to get into the second minecart I'd cleared a chest out of. I hopped into mine and turned to see if she was coming. She stood frigidly still. "Raven, please…trust me." I asked.

It took her a minute, but she slowly started making her way to the minecart. She sat down, getting as comfortable as she could, hiding her face from me. I slicked a lever on the wall next to us and we sped off, leaving the devastation on the surface behind us.

**That's it for chapter 5 guys. I apologize for taking so long, but I've been a bit busy with a lot of things. I will do my best to keep posting as soon as I can. Hope you guys enjoyed and please make sure to hit that follow/favorite button along with a written review! ^_^. Until next time.**


	6. Capture

Chapter 6

It was all gone, reduced to no more than rubble. Most the mobs had gone inside, along with the two male human mobs that were going in to take the teenager who had disrupted the attack on Oakwood. They hadn't expected someone else to be with him. Nor had they expected such an elaborate use of sticky piston weaponry. The boy must have planned for something like this to happen. How could they have been so stupid?

She and the creeper human mob, along with maybe less than twenty mobs, had been assigned to guard the perimeter of the house just in case the two tried to escape. How could they have known that the boy was crazy enough to blow up his house? They had failed once again and odds were that the witch knew of it already. If they went back to her, they would likely end up just like their companions, dead.

The creeper human mob walked up to the tree she was resting at. She was a skinny girl, about her age, wearing a green and jacket with leather shorts dyed green as well. Her name was Valerie or something like that. She looked scared as she approached, as well she should be. "We didn't find the bodies of the boy or the girl he was with." She said regretfully. "It's really hard to discern in this rubble, but we believe we might have found the hole they escaped down. The only problem is that it's all blocked up. It would be well into the night before we could clear it out."

The skeleton mob slammed her fist against the tree, startling Valerie. _Dam***._ "We're dead if we don't find him. Order everyone to start working. We've got a long night ahead of us." She nodded nervously and went to gather up the mobs and issue orders.

Something wet struck her hair. She looked towards the sky to see it had turned dark. The rain picked up quickly and in a matter of seconds, it went from a drop to a downpour. Just perfect. She cursed at no one in particular and went to go join Valerie with digging.

* * *

I opened my eyes and looked around. Not that there was much to see. Like I said, I was the one who built this tunnel. Until we hit the cavern, there wouldn't be much to see. Raven had been really quiet for the length of our trip, though we couldn't have been traveling for more than an hour. I looked over at her in her cart. She had her back to me, facing towards the back of the tunnel. I couldn't tell if she was sleeping or just deep in thought. Maybe scared? Untrusting?

I wouldn't blame her for feeling that way if she did. She did just witness me kill more than a couple mobs and possibly a few human mobs. I don't think I'd feel very safe either. Don't misunderstand me, I don't like killing. I usually aim to wound if I feel I can get away with it. But it wasn't just my life in danger this time. I had to be sure. I had made that defense system maybe a couple weeks ago. I really hadn't believed anything like what just happened would happen, but I wanted to be prepared for just about anything, no matter what it may be. Even so, there's only so much you can prepare for.

I hadn't planned on meeting Raven or having to execute my plan with her tagging along. I guess life is always filled with those unpredictabilities. Only God knows the events of the future. I was happy to escape with my bible at least. It was probably the most important thing in the house anyway. The only real question running through my head at the moment though, was who in the heck would go so far to try and capture me?

I pondered this until the repetitive surroundings gave way to what I was waiting to me. Suddenly, the tiny 2X2 tunnel expanded to a wondrous cavern. Minerals could be seen at near impossible places to get to, abandoned bridges from an old mineshaft hung around the space along with some stalactites and stalagmites both small and large. A faint glow from below also indicated that lava was somewhere on the cavern floor.

This is where I really went to mine. I was lucky to discover this mineshaft while digging out my escape tunnel. Not only did it make laying track down easier, but it helped me gather all the iron, coal, and gold I needed. But this time, I wasn't here to gather minerals.

The minecart moved at a steady pace to the stone block I had placed to stop the track on an abandoned bridge that jutted out from the stone wall. The minecart bumped against the stone and I hopped out. Raven apparently wasn't expecting a sudden stop because the minute her minecart bumped into mine, she nearly fell out from jumping. She must have been sleeping. I chuckled and grabbed the bag out of my cart.

A single chest lay by the wall a few steps away from the track. I opened it and pulled out exactly what I expected to be there. A map. This mineshaft wasn't too far from Oakwood, maybe a quarter-day's travel. I looked at a clock I kept in an item frame by the chest. I usually used it for checking when it was time to head back home, but now I used it to judge if we would make it to Oakwood before night. It would appear not though. The clock was already leaning towards the moon. We should be able to reach my spare room I kept for long mining trips. That would at least shelter us for the night against any curious mobs.

Raven appeared next to me, sack thrown over her shoulder. "What do we do now?" She asked.

"It's near nightfall. That's when the mobs are most active down here as well as the surface. I suppose we'll have to share a spare room I keep near here when I go on long mining trips." I look over at her, "That alright with you?"

She simply nods and with that, I lead the way to our new destination. The way is lit by torches I have kept to remind myself when I've already explored an area. I had the way to the room memorized, but it was going to be a bit of a walk. We walked through numerous hallways, all having similar setups, cobwebs and wooden blocks with fenceposts to act as a structure for placing torches at certain intervals. Raven may not have known where we were going, but I always made sure to leave some small differences that only I would notice. A scratch on wood here, an irregularly placed torch there, small things like that.

After about five minutes, Raven looked like she was having some trouble with her bag. She must have loaded it well. "Do you want me to take that?" I asked her, pointing to her sack.

"I'm fi..." Suddenly, she lost her footing, falling towards the pavement and dropping her sack. I quickly reached out with my right hand and caught her before her face came in contact with the hard stone floor. For a moment, we stayed like that, in a frozen awkward moment in time. I pulled her a little closer to me to help her back to her feet. Her face was red as redstone.

"Let me carry it. We're not too far from the room. I can handle the extra weight." I said, picking her bag up from the ground. The extra weight would place more of a burden on my already tired muscles, but I felt it was right for me to take it.

It took us another ten minutes until we finally came upon a wooden door at a dead end. I sighed in relief, as I didn't think I'd be able to carry both bags for much longer. I dropped one of the bags to open the door for Raven before heading in myself. She gave me a small smile before going inside.

The room was pretty basic. A simple furnace and crafting table stood in a corner of the small 5X5 room. A single double chest held whatever little supplies I managed to leave her with my last mining trip and a single bed was placed at the opposite wall. A lever hung by the crafting bench and a single torch provided light. I dropped both bags by the bed with a grunt, wiping some sweat from my forehead.

I rummaged through the bag Raven had used for grabbing food. There was plenty to eat from. I took out two loaves of bread, two potatoes, and some carrots. It wouldn't be the best of meals, but it would have to do. I went over to my single chest and found the supplies I had left here since my last trip. Two wooden bowls, a few extra blankets, some coal, and two cobblestone. That was it. I sighed. Looks like I would be taking the floor. Oh well. Better than being captured.

I stick the coal in the furnace and began heating up the potatoes. I gave a loaf of bread to Raven and put the carrots into one of the wooden bowls. She thanked me quietly. We ate in silence, against the bed on the floor. I took out the cooked potatoes before they burned and gave Raven hers.

"Why did you kill those mobs and human mobs?" Raven asked me after another few minutes of silence.

It wasn't like I hadn't expected this to come up. I took a bite from my potato and chewed thoughtfully. "Because, this time it wasn't just my life in danger. I could have probably gotten away and kept moving until I reached Oakwood by myself easily, but I didn't want to take the risk of our captures coming back to get you." I said truthfully.

Raven looked utterly perplexed. "But, I am a stranger to you. Why…?"

"My belief is that God created the heavens and the earth. In doing so, his teachings were passed down through many books that people had written. Very important people. In them, you can read and kind of see what life God wants you to live and the morals He wants you to live by. This is very well emphasized and explained in the New Testament. God's greatest commandment, Love thy Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind. The second is, Love thy neighbor as thyself. Everyone is my neighbor in my eyes, save for my enemies who harm me." I replied.

"And what does your God say of magic? I remember you saying you despised it." She said critically with a hint of anger.

I sighed. "Your right, I do not approve of any magical arts, as they are not with God nor were they made by him. In fact, in the Old Testament it says that a witch should be killed. But, I feel everyone has a chance to be saved because in the bible it speaks of God coming down to the earth in flesh, known as Jesus Christ. He did a great many things and led many to the way of God. But he was betrayed into the hands of the Pharisees, a group of people who regarded their laws above God's laws. He was crucified on a wooden cross for blasphemy, claiming to be the God he was. He died a horrid death and was buried in a tomb for three days, but then rose again. He hath paid for the sins of many and given us a chance to join him in heaven should we repent for our sins and follow in his path. It is not an easy path to follow and I am sure I have not done so, for I still lack much understanding, but I still try the best I can." I said. "Here," I rummaged through the sack I had brought by the bed until I found my bible, "Read this with an open heart and mind. I am still in the process of reading it, but it has already changed my views of the world."

I handed it to her. At first, she did not reach out and take it from me. I prompted her, moving it closer towards her hands, not forcing it, but giving her the chance to take it once again. Slowly, hesitantly, she took it from me. I got up and retrieved the blankets from the chest along with the two pieces of cobblestone. I opened the door and placed the two pieces of cobblestone in front of the entrance to block any mobs from entering should they stumble upon our hiding place. I began arranging the blankets on the floor into a makeshift bed.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked.

"Making a place for me to sleep. Go ahead and take the bed. I can sleep on just about anything. I'm exhausted enough as it is." I said with a smile.

"We can both fit…" She started.

I held up my hand. "No, it's alright. I'll be fine. But, if you could toss me one of those pillows, I'd be grateful." I said, pointing to the bed.

She threw me a pillow without thinking twice and I placed it at the edge of my sleeping arrangement. I walked over to the wall that held the torch and swiftly blew it out. Only the embers from the furnace provided any light to the room. Without another word, I kneeled down, bending my head down in prayer.

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." I paused a moment before adding to my prayer. "Lord, I ask that you please have mercy on those who attacked me today if it is your will. I ask to be forgiven of all I've done wrong as I will forgive anyone who hath sinned against me if I have the power to do so. I ask all of this in your name, Jesus Christ. Amen."

The Lord's prayer. A prayer that Jesus himself proclaimed was the way to pray to the Lord, for He already knows before hand what you will need and when you will need it. However, I feel that adding my own additional prayer to His is what I should do as well. May I be judged, be it ever so severely, if I have done wrong by doing so.

I looked up from my prayer to see that Raven was staring at me, rather confused. "This is how I read that I should pray, other than after pause I took." I got as comfortable as I could on the stone floor and pulled the top blanket over me. "Good night Raven. Sleep well." I said sincerely.

At first, I did not hear a response, but after a few seconds, I heard her reply, though it was barely a whisper. "Good night Staze."

I closed my eyes, slowly drifting off into sleep.

* * *

It had taken them nearly all the rest of the day to clear away all the rubble. It was faster than they expected. When they finally reached the bottom, they discovered the boy's mineshaft tunnel and arrangement of tools he left behind. She made sure the mobs grabbed a couple from the chests before continuing through the tunnel. There were only fifteen mobs left. Valerie and herself were the only ones to lead them.

It took them well over three hours before they entered the abandoned mineshaft the tunnel deposited them in. The track ended at an abandoned bridge. She checked the chest nearby, but it was empty. It didn't really matter anyway. She could smell the scent of the boy. That would have to mean that he was a human villager mob. Being an undead mob, she could smell human flesh. She led the way, Valerie close behind along with the other fifteen mobs.

It was close to another twenty minutes or twists and turns, long, dirty hallways, before they reached a dead end. However, this dead end was marked with two cobblestone blocks that obviously contrasted with surrounding smooth stone. There was no doubt that they had finally caught up with the boy and his hiding place. With a nod to a zombie who held an iron pickax, he walked up to the cobblestone and started mining it.

* * *

_Thud._ I awoke from my slumber with a start. What had woken me? I listened for a few seconds, but heard nothing. Perhaps it was just the sound of the mine or something. I closed my eyes, ready to return back to the slumber I'd been rudely awakened from. _Thud. _There it was again. It sounded close. Right outside. I finally put two and two together and leapt out from under the covers. Another _thud _and I heard the breaking of the cobblestone block from outside. Light poured in from the top slits of the door.

I practically tugged Raven from the bed and her sleep. She let out a startled scream before she realized it was me. It was all the intruders outside my door needed though. The thudding became much harder and faster. I quickly flipped the lever by the crafting table, revealing a very small 1X2 tunnel. A last set precaution just in case I ever had to leave quickly. I heard the second block break and the door burst open. A skeleton already had his now drawn, but it wasn't aimed at me.

"Run!" I had just enough time to shout out, before I flipped the lever back, sealing the escape route just before the skeleton let its arrow fly. I hit the stone and I smashed the lever off the wall with a single strong punch. It hurt, but now they wouldn't know where to place it to open the passage. Unfortunately, that also left me trapped. My sword was by the foot of the bed and the first mobs were already coming in!

I sent a flying sidekick to the first zombie mob that came in. He fell down with a moan, dropping something that made a loud clanking sound on the stone floor. It was an iron pickax! I grabbed it off the ground quickly, then went down to one knee to take out a skeleton's bony legs. They shattered and it fell on top of its zombie comrade. I heard the hiss of a creeper as it came through the doorway already half inflated. With a last act of desperation, I chucked the pickax toward it. It struck home, slicing into its head, killing it immediately.

I dashed to the edge of my bed, trying to grab my sword. I got as far as grabbing a hold of it before being tackled by someone. All I was able to see was a flash of green as I tried to struggle out of this person's hold. I was stronger and with a huge thrash, was able to get loose. I sent a kick behind me in the general direction of my assailant, being rewarded with a pained yelp. I got to my feet and was about to turn around.

All of a sudden, something hard knocked me in the back of my head. I hardly had time to experience pain before I was down on the ground, dark splotches starting to cloud my vision and slowly spreading. My head was swimming, my thoughts coming away from head. The last of the darkness swallowed me whole, turning everything to black.

**That's it for chapter 6. Hope you all enjoyed and don't forget to follow/favorite and leave a review. Until next time.**


	7. Selene

Chapter 7

"Run!" She heard Staze yell at her.

The hidden stone door slammed shut behind Raven. She turned around instantly, seeing that Staze was still on the other side of the stone door. She pounded against the stone, searching for a lever, a button, something that would open the door again. "Staze!" She shouted at the wall in vain. She could barely hear the sounds of struggle from the other side. It kept up for a good half a minute, then silence filled the air quite suddenly.

She slowly back away from the door. _No. Was he…?_ She rushed back quickly, pressing her ear against the wall. All she could hear was the sound of very muffled voices. They were so quick and so short that for a minute, she thought she'd just imagined them. When all she could hear was the sound of her own voice, she slumped to the ground in defeat. _Did Staze…die?_

They hardly knew each other. Yet, his priority was to get her to safety before her. How could someone do so much for a stranger? She had only known him for two days, but he had already done more than anyone had her entire life. She pressed her eyes closed tight, fighting back tears. Her hand brushed something by her. It was only them that she noticed in the dim light provided by a far away torch, the bag by her side.

She ruffled through it. It was the bag she packed. Inside was some food, the map of the mineshaft, her dress, a single small ax, some scrap wool, and…his bible. He must have thrown this in with her. Staze… A single tear rolled down her cheek. In anger and frustration, she slammed her hand against the hard stone wall._ No! He's not dead! He can't be. _

She looked at the map. One word popped out more than anything else. Oakwood. The village that had wanted to persecute her for being a witch. She sniffled and pulled herself together. After a few seconds, she stood up, her brain trying to formulate some plan of action from here. Staze had said he was well known in Oakwood. Maybe she could gather up a search party to go search for him. But if she stepped foot in that town, who's to say they would listen to her? Why wouldn't they just try to kill her as they had before?

She looked towards the wool in her bag. It was white wool. An idea struck her. She grabbed the wool, using the ax to cut it into a thinner, smaller shape. Perhaps she could disguise herself and ask for help. She was wearing different clothes after all and if she could hide her long brown hair and cover some of her face, maybe it was possible that she could slip into town unidentified. It was a long shot, but she had to do something. Staze had done so much for her, now it was time for her to return the favor.

She finished her shawl and wrapped it around her hair, tucking some of it inside the shawl, before grabbing the map and bag. With a brisk pace, she began to navigate her way out of the abandoned mineshaft.

* * *

I opened my eyes and was instantly greeted with pain from the back of my head. It was dark, really dark. I was lying on a bed, but it was raggy and very uncomfortable. The ceiling above looked to be stone. It was so dark that I actually had to think about it. I moved my body to sit up. There was a rattle of chains and I was thrust back down onto the bed quite suddenly. My arms were chained at the wrist and attached to the bed.

I tried again to sit up, positioning my body along with my arms, making the chains rattle much louder this time. My eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and I was finally able to take in my surroundings, what little of it there was. I was in a cell of some sort. The front of the cell was composed of iron bars a little taller than me with an iron door to function as a way to get in and out. The rest of the cell was plain stone, decorated sparsely with only the bed I was laying on and the chains that bounded me.

My head was starting to clear up and I began to wonder how I got here and how. It came back in seconds. The thudding in the middle of the night. Getting Raven safely away, but having to lock myself in the room with attacking mobs coming in. The tussle with the two mobs and a human mob of some sort. After that, everything was a blank. I looked at my chains thoughtfully and began to jerk on them to test their strength. They felt sturdy. There was no way I was going to break out of them.

Footsteps from outside jarred me from my thoughts as I watch the cell door to face my captor. When I saw her, I nearly gasped. It was the same skeleton mob woman that I had the great displeasure of meeting in the forest at the edge of my house. She wasn't alone. Another girl, about my age actually, maybe older, accompanied her. She was dressed in green, it looked like a jackets and leather shorts, but I couldn't be too sure. She seemed to have reddish-brown hair and yellow eyes.

I heard a button pressed from the outside. The Iron door slowly creaked open and the two mobs entered. The skeleton woman drew her bow and motioned for the creeper girl to undo my chains. She took a key out of her jacket and went to work on my chains. Something I hadn't noticed before was that there was a bruise right above her right eye. As she went to unchain my other arm, I thought briefly about making a move to escape. I quickly disclosed the thought, seeing as the skeleton woman looked like she meant business.

Once I was free, I was ordered to stand up. I complied. The creeper girl pulled rope out of her jacket and quickly bounded my wrists again. Then, she pulled a knife faster than I thought possible. She held both of my hands behind my back with one hand, knife against the back of my neck with the other. "Follow her." She said in a stern voice, moving me over to the skeleton woman who was now at the door, arrow still focused on me.

I walked slowly towards the door and out into the hallway. It was a basic stone hallway, lined with empty cells. The skeleton woman pressed the button again and the cell door closed. She then took the lead of the procession, leading me to wherever. They made no attempt at speech, so I decided to just keep my mouth shut and follow her.

We didn't walk very far before we reached a set of stone stairs that seemed to be cracking in certain places. They must be pretty old. We walked up them in silence. It was a spiral staircase straight up and it seemed to get lighter the further up we went, the wall becoming apparent with torches. It was a little blinding at first, but my eyes soon adjusted. Once we reached the top, there was a single oak door. The skeleton woman opened it and gestured for me to walk through.

It was much lighter in here than in the dungeons, but only just enough to see clearly. Bookshelves filled with many ancient and mystical books lined the walls. Brewing stands were placed in between the bookshelves on top of chests that were filled with a wide variety of potions. A few chests and double chests were scattered around the room and there was one lonely painting or an older woman who looked familiar, but I couldn't place her name. A small bed was placed in a corner, near a spruce wood table that held something I could barely fathom. It looked like a crystal ball. The person behind the crystal ball really gave me a shock.

"Raven!?" I exclaimed in surprise.

The young woman in front of me looked almost exactly like Raven. She had long brown hair, was wearing a purple gold embroidered dress with a witch hat on top of her head. She looked up from her crystal ball at me and smiled. It wasn't a pleasant one. Even her eyes were like Raven's. I marveled at their similarities in appearance, not wanting to believe this was the same person I had helped over the past two days. I started struggling for the first time to loosen my bonds, but I was just met with a tenser knife pressing harder on the back of my neck, a reminder to stay still.

"Surprised? I would be too if I were in your shoes." She said, stepping away from the table and walking toward out little group. "Come now, are those really necessary?" She asked, gesturing to my assailant's weapons. The skeleton girl lowered hers hesitantly and the creeper girl lifted her knife from the back of my neck. It was relieving, to say the least. "And those?" She said, more of an order than a question. She definitely had an air of authority, but her voice was unusually calm, sweet almost. The creeper girl cut through the rope like it was paper. I could finally move my arms freely. I rubbed my wrists, not saying a word. I needed to find out more about my situation before saying anything more.

"You may leave." She said to the two human mobs next to me. With a small bow, they left through a the door they came in through. She then turned her full attention to me. She looked like she was examining me, her eyes exerting a predatory looking gaze. "So, you are the one my soldiers have had so much trouble trying to capture. Quite resourceful, aren't you?" She said, grinning.

"Who are you and why have you brought me here?" I asked in a non-aggressive tone. Her grin faltered for a second before returning. I guess she was used to people answering her questions.

"My name is Selene. Perhaps you've heard of me?" I shook my head. This again, caused her to falter in her expression. She must not have been used to this unrecognition and lack of fear. "Well, you have certainly witnessed my work for sure." She said, walking over to her crystal ball, waving her hand over it. I stayed where I was. It didn't matter though. I could see the images on the ball clear as day.

It was the attack on Oakwood. Every specific event that had happened was playing out again, like if it were happening now. The villagers that were trying to hold off the mobs looked in pretty bad shape and were slowly losing ground. Then, they all fell back into the formation I had arranged them in. The ball instantly focused on me and my actions from then on. From fighting the mobs, to making it to the gate and closing it to fighting for survival in the midst of the mob crowd.

"My glorious attack would have succeeded had you not intervened." She said calmly, turning to look at me. "You're a very powerful person aren't you?" She smiled. It was that same smile from earlier, disturbing.

I instantly jumped backwards, reflexively reaching for a sword that wasn't there. Changing my tactic, I readied myself in a fighting position. Selene laughed. "My, my, such spirit. I wish I had the same of some of my soldiers." She said while walking towards me, slowly, deliberately.

She didn't speak until she was within arm's length. "You know, you don't have to protect those people." She said, running her finger up my chest. "Their fathers have tortured and killed many mobs that were different from their own. They have waged war with many of the human mobs. Even the villagers today still hold resentment for most human mobs other than their own." She continued, circling me much like a serpent. "Why did you protect them when you could have easily just run away and left them to their own means? Why do they deserve your protection?"

She took my hand and placed it on her face. "Why not join me? I can give you power and rule over much. And maybe even more…" She said, moving my hand.

I instantly snapped out of it and jumped back even further. I needed to get away from this temptress. She almost had me too. Had she used some type of spell, or had I just listened to her little speech for too long? I mentally beat myself over the head. "No! I will not join you. I do not dwell with demons or the Devil!"

She simply smirked. "It is decided then."

Immediately after she said this, she waved her hand toward me and I flew back. I hit the wall. Hard. I let out a pained yelp. I couldn't move either! I tried moving, but I could only move so much before my hand was forced back to the wall. I heard rattling on the floor. I gasped as I saw iron chains slithering around the floor like snakes towards me.

I tried harder to fight against my invisible binds. It was futile. The first chain launched itself and latched onto my arm, tightening immediately and slamming it against the wall. My other limbs soon followed. Soon, I was completely immobile, save for my head. Even so, I still struggled against the chains, already knowing it was too late.

Selene laughed at my struggle. "You know it's futile. You've been caught." I ignored her. She laughed and went to one of her double chests. After a second or searching, she pulled out something that made me freeze. She pulled out a shiny, rather sharp looking knife. She slowly walked over to me, taking her time so as to see me squirm. I did not satisfy her now.

"I've always loved knives." She said, flicking it around in her hand, "They hold a certain beauty to them, don't you think?" I said nothing. She smiled up at me, an evil, twisted smile. "Do you know when knives are the most beautiful?" She asked me. She moved the tip of the blade to my stomach. "They are the most beautiful when they…" She applied pressure and began slowly moving up, creating a thin line of crimson through my ripped shirt. "Cut!" She said with a twisted expression and tone.

I grunted at the new pain, trying to keep myself from yelling. _Lord, please…give me the strength to endure. Forgive her._ She cut me again, right next to the previous one. Soon a look of pure bloodlust invaded her eyes and she began to cut faster and faster, moving to different parts of my body. I screamed out in pain. _Forgive her!_

"Join me!" She shouted at me. "It can all stop with just three little words!"

"NO!" I shouted back. "May God have mercy on your…AGH!" She sent a cut to my cheek, and then stabbed my shoulder. I continued to scream, my cries echoing around the room, but there was no one there to listen.

* * *

Raven stepped inside the village for the second time in the last couple days. The houses looked like they had all been repaired compared to the last time she came here. There were so many villagers. How would she know where to start? Worse yet, what if someone recognized her? She pulled her shawl closer to her face and kept walking through the gravel pathway.

She had walked around nearly in circles for the past ten minutes. Most pasted her without a second thought which was good. It meant that her disguise was working. But, she still had no clue where to go or who to talk to for getting help for Staze. _What am I to do? Lord, the God that Staze worships, please lend me your guidance. Please…help me._

Suddenly, she bumped into another villager girl. With a surprised shriek from both girls, they fell to the ground. Books hit the ground and Raven rubbed the back of her head. The girl across from her was all dressed in white with glasses, orange hair, and blue eyes looked at her dazed until she finally realized what happened. Instantly, she began to gather the books up with a worried expression. Raven started doing the same, seeing as it was part her fault that she made the girl drops her books. She gathered up about half the books, but froze once she read the title of the top book. "The Bible".

"Sorry! I didn't mean to run into you, are you hurt?" The girl asked her with genuine concern, now holding half the books in her arms. They were all the same as the one she was holding.

"I'm okay." She said softly, getting up off the floor with half of the girl's books in her arms. "May I ask though, where you got these?" She asked.

The girl smiled softly. "I got them from a boy named Staze. Just about everyone in the village knows of him. He's a very kind person. Anyway, I'm sorry for running into you. Having the books stacked so high makes it very hard to see where I'm going." She said with a chuckle. "I can take those back if you don't mind."

Raven thought a for a moment. Maybe this was someone who she could talk to or at least someone who could point her in the right direction for help. "It was half my fault for not watching where I was going. Let me help you carry these to wherever you're going."

The girl smiled at her appreciatively. "Thank you. We're not far now. I was just taking these to our local library. You seem knew, so maybe I can show you around a little bit. My name is Crystal."

"My name is Raven. Nice to meet you."

And so, she let Crystal take the lead and they made their way to the library. Crystal pointed out many of the main shops and housing districts, along with the local farms they kept up to feed the village. Thankfully, Crystal said they weren't too badly damaged in the attack.

"And this…" She said proudly, "Is the public library!"

Raven could hardly believe the sight in front of her. The library was two stories, supported stone and bricks. Stone pillars supported the balcony on the second floor, which was decorated with tables and chairs for outside readers and there were large letters attached to the front wall, just under the stone roof. Oakwood Public Library. She could hardly believe her eyes. It was such a beautiful piece of architecture.

They walked inside and Raven followed Crystal to the front desk. An empty minecart was by the desk. She placed her half of the books in. Raven followed suite.

"Whew. Thanks for all your help." Crystal said.

"Your welcome. Um…can I ask where you got all those books?" Raven asked.

"Well Staze, the person I mentioned earlier, actually gave me an original copy of all the books you see here. I took them to our local printing mill and he spent the last three days making all these. Considering what the contents of that hold, he's definitely doing the village a service. I've only read the first couple books, but the book has already made an impact on me. Would you like a…"

She was interrupted by a bump at the front of the desk. A man appeared at the front desk, his hands planted on the counter. He looked like he was sixteen, maybe seventeen. He wore what looked like leather armor, fitted sword attached to his belt. His hair was short, dirty blond and he looked, not necessarily at her and Crystal, but rather in their general direction. His eyes were a hazy gray.

"Hello Ark. Nice to see you again." Crystal said with a smile on her face.

He focused his eyes more on Crystal now that she said something. Was he partly blind maybe? He smiled at her, though he could hardly have known she smiled first, right? "Good morning Crystal. How are things?"

"Not too bad. Finally got these new books in. They'll be going on the shelves soon." She replied cheerily.

"Sounds good. Who's your friend?" He asked calmly.

Raven looked at Ark with a puzzled expression. How did he know I was here? I hadn't made a sound. Is he really blind? "I assume by your stunned silence that you are wondering how I knew you were by Crystal, yes?" He asked.

Raven nodded before seeing how pointless it was. "Yes." She said in answer

He chuckled. "Your breathing was a little irregular when I bumped into this table. But, the first indication was that I could see your blurry outline next to Crystal's. I'm not completely blind, you see, just mostly. However, the lighting in here makes it very hard to see Crystal, as she always wears white."

"Hey! Not always." She retorted, quite out of character. Ark chucked. "Was there something you needed Ark?" She said, regaining her library assistant composure.

"Not really. Just came to say hi. I've finally got some time off from guard duty. A day or so."

"In that case, why don't you come back here? Raven, the girl you asked about, and I were talking about the new supply of books. Now what was I asking again? Oh, that's right, would you like a book to take Raven?" She asked.

Now was the best time to bring it up. Crystal seemed to know Staze, so maybe she could help her get help. Ark was in the guard patrol, so maybe they could assemble a search party. "Well, to be honest, I came here for help. It's about Staze."

That had the desired effect. Both Crystal's and Ark's heads snapped to hers. "Is he in trouble!? What happened?" Crystal exclaimed. Raven was a little shocked at her reaction, but Ark put an a hand on Crystal's shoulder to calm her.

"Easy Crystal. Why don't we go in the back room and talk about this?" He asked her.

She nodded and told us to follow her. Behind the front desk was a wooden door. Crystal took out a key from her robe and unlocked the door. They walked inside before she closed the door behind them. It was like a small room for the staff. A table and chairs draped with a white wool tablecloth was placed to the right and a couple beds were situated by the wall to the right. The room was lit by a few redstone lamps and a few paintings lined the walls.

They all took a seat at the table. Both of them looked to her.

"So, what seems to be the trouble?" Ark asked.

**And that's it for chapter 7 everyone. I hope you all enjoyed and please don't forget to follow/favorite and leave a review letting me know about any comments or concerns you may have. I'm also available for a PM if you'd like to send me a message. Make sure to spread the word about the story if you like it. Credit for the OC Ark Forrest goes to ****b omarr monk who I hope is reading this story :P. Until next time everyone.**


	8. Rescue Mission

Chapter 8

To say my body was in was an understatement. I had been cut so many times that I couldn't tell where my skin was anymore. Everything hurt. I was chained up against the wall again, in the dungeon, laying on the bed. Even the halfway cushy mattress hurt my back. Breathing even stung. I ended up having to take a deep breath and hold it to minimize the pain.

My cell door clicked open and the creeper girl came in with a try of bread and water. She was cringed when she saw my state. Quietly and quickly, she set the tray down on my bed. "Oh my gosh! I've never seen her do this before!" She gasped, analyzing my various cuts. "Why don't you just give in and join her? The pain will stop, the…"

"N..No." I managed to get out. Speaking hurt just as bad as breathing. "P-Pain is only…temporary in this body. I…will…suffer whatever I must until…I…breathe my last breath. For…whosoever will…save his life will…lose it: and… whosoever will lose his…life for my sake shall find it. I trust…in the Lord to…do as he will with me. It is…not my place to…decide."

"What does that mean?" She asked. "Your life is your own! Why waste it by dying a painful death?"

I smiled, despite myself. "Because…I pray that…in death I will find…everlasting life." I paused. "What…is your name?"

"Valerie." She answered.

"Valerie…" I said, trying the name out. "It…hurts to move. Will…you please…feed me?"

Her eyes changed to a look of compassion, something I hadn't seen for the past couple hours and was glad to see it once more. She picked up the half loaf of bread and stuck it in my mouth. I bit off and chewed. It tasted stale, but I didn't care. It was food. We did this back and forth until the bread was all but gone. There was still a tiny piece left. Valerie's stomach growled.

"Sorry, I haven't eaten much. I'm a new recruit as it is and she doesn't trust me enough to feed me properly." She said.

I don't know why she was apologizing for it, but this girl had shown me compassion and it was my turn to do the same. "Take it. I know…it isn't much but…" I started.

"No. You're in much worse a state than I am." She protested.

"Eat." I simply said. I nodded for emphasis.

She hesitated a minute, looking at me with a mixed gaze of shock and acclamation. She ate the last of the bread. "Thank you." She said quietly.

"No…problem." I said with a chuckle that quickly turned into a grunt of pain. Laughter was good, but it still pained me. "Valerie…can you please…do me a favor? I don't…think I can do it…alone." She simply nodded. "First…can you please give… me….some water?"

She took the glass bottle, which thankfully was almost all the way full, in her hands and guided it to my lips. I took one good, deep gulp of water. The cool liquid felt good in my throat and I almost took another gulp, but I couldn't afford to waste any of it. She took it away from my mouth. "Have… a sip as well." I said. She didn't hesitate this time and took a small, quick sip. "Now…this may be hard…for you to do, but…I need you to…pour half the water…on my wounds. They need…to be cleansed."

She stared at me, bewildered. "But Staze…"

"If…I don't clean them…they might get…an infection. And…believe me…that's the last…thing I need now." I said with another chuckle that turned bad. "Please…"

She simply nodded and held the bottle over my chest. "Are you ready?" She asked.

"No…Do it." I said, clenching my teeth, preparing for the worst. She poured the water on my chest. It was like pouring salt on an open wound. I flailed about on the bed, kicking and letting out muffled screams, as the water washed away the grime and dirt from my chest. D***! It was like a thousand mosquitoes all bit down on me at the same time!

When I had finally calmed down enough, I flipped myself onto my back with a loud grunt, tears running down my face. "The…back….please!" I barely got out. A second later, I felt the same pain intensified by about three. My back must have suffered the worst, injury-wise and dirt-wise. I actually couldn't muffle my scream and I let out a long loud one, followed by soft whimpering. It was over now at least. There was no more water.

I turned my head to Valerie who looked like she was going to burst into tears. I felt a little terrible for having her do this, but it could have very well saved my life. "I'm…sorry. But…thank…you….Valerie. You…don't…deserve…to…be…here."

It was the last thing I remember saying.

* * *

Raven, after nearly two hours, had finally explained everything to Ark and Crystal. She was a little scared of confessing everything she knew to pretty much complete strangers, but they both seemed to share a strong bond with Staze. That much she could tell right away by the concern pasted on their faces as she went through her tale. After she had finished, both of them remained silent for a minute or two.

"I don't like magic because I've witnessed the way it corrupts people. With you, however, it seems you have not been yet." Ark said. "And if Staze is in trouble, we need to go help him. He's done more than tenfold for this village."

Crystal simply nodded, still trying to take in everything she'd heard. Was it true? Could she trust a witch? But what if she wasn't trying to trick them? Is Staze really down somewhere in the deep, dark, abandoned mines the people rumored held a witch with more power than they'd known? They had to do something.

Crystal finally faced Raven. "I don't know if I can trust you either, but if Staze is in trouble, I will do anything I can to help." She said.

Raven put on a big smile. "Thank you…both of you!" And she went and did something that surprised even her. She hugged the two strangers. They were as shocked as she was, but that didn't stop them from returning a comforting hug to the now relieved girl in front of them.

When they all broke off, Ark was the first to speak. "We should get ready to leave soon. Crystal, get the things you'll need from home. I will bring the equipment I lack as well."

"Wait! You're not going to ask help from the guards?" Raven asked, confused.

"There are too many on duty. After the attack, everyone has been on high alert. They can't spare any just to look for someone, even if it is Staze." Ark paused, hesitating for a second. He sighed before continuing, "The only reason I was given leave was because my superiors thought my lack of sight would be a problem should there be another attack."

Raven could tell by the tone in his voice that he was more than a little displeased. He quickly rectified himself and turned to smile at her. "But maybe higher forces are at work, no? Perhaps I was meant to have this leave to help out a village hero." He headed to the door. "Meet us out by the village gate. We'll be there shortly."

And with that, he walked out of the room. Crystal soon followed, leaving Raven alone. She smiled softly to herself. Finally, she had help. _Don't worry Staze. We're on our way. Please…be alright._

I was woken abruptly by the sound of my cell door opening. I turned my head groggily to see the figure of the skeleton woman and Valerie again. The woman pulled out her bow and trained it on me again. Not that she needed to. I couldn't have fought even if I wanted to. My cuts had started to scab, but it still hurt to move. How long had I been out?

"Get up!" The woman said.

Reluctantly, and with great strain, I was able to lift myself off the bed. Valerie gave me a pitying look as I walked to her. She was holding the rope restraints. I lifted my hands for her to bind them. She hesitated before actually performing the act. Once again, I was forced down the hallway and up the long flight of stairs, my legs aching with each step.

I was deposited back in the witch, Selene's lair. It may as well been the lion's den. She was hovered over her crystal ball, seemingly concentrated on whatever events it showed. I was too far away to make out the images, and honestly, I didn't really care what it was about. We all stood a good three minutes or so before she acknowledged her henchwomen.

"You may leave. Unbind him." She said, not looking away.

Valerie cut the rope, giving me a worrisome glance as she left. Selene stepped away from her ball and approached me. I had done away with my shirt sometime in the night. It was so riddled with holes and stains you couldn't even call it a shirt anymore. My injuries were displayed out for her to see. She held a confident smile on her face. Mine remained stoic.

"So, have you changed your mind at all?" She asked. I shook my head. She laughed. "Well, I expected to hear that from you. Your will is strong, but believe me, I will find some way to break it. One way or another." Her voice had gone dark.

Before I knew what was happening, I felt a stinging smack against to right cheek. I let out a small yelp and jumped back instinctively. That wound wasn't from a knife; it did not cut the skin. It had merely left a red mark. I looked over to Selene. In her hands was a jet black whip.

"Let's see how long you can take this!" She said with another sickening look of bloodlust.

She cracked her whip again with surprising speed. I felt a pain in my side. I grunted, already wounded from the previous day's torture. Another strike landed on my shin, causing me to kneel reflexively. Another strike hit the exposed skin of my back. I yelled out in pain.

"That's right! Bow down! Realize your true master!" She shouted. She cracked her whip again.

With a quick motion, I held one hand over my back. The whip struck my arm, then continued to wrap itself around it like a snake. Fighting the pain, I grabbed hold of the entangled whip and pulled. Slene, with a surprised gasp, lost her balance and fell to the ground, releasing her hold on the whip. I tossed the weapon away.

"No one is my master on this earth. There is only one true master I serve, and that is God!" I shouted through the pain.

Selene smirked cruelly towards me. "Your God is no match for the powers I possess, nor the one I serve!"

She stretched out her hand violently, a small amount of blue cackling energy dancing around her fingertips. I had just enough time to jump out of the way as she sent a barrage of lighting towards where I had been standing. Before I could react any more, I felt something hit my midsection. Instantly, I dropped to the floor in pain. I felt glass shards cutting my insides, but that was the least of my worries. I felt as if my energy was being stolen from me. I couldn't move my limbs. My body wouldn't comply with any of the commands I gave it. Gray liquid dripped from my chest to the ground, mixing with the blood, creating a dark red ooze at my feet.

I felt sharp sting on my back. Selene had retrieved her whip and began flogging me, her swings becoming harder with every one. I screamed out and she seemed to thrive on every one, encouraging her to strike again and again.

"You shall break! You shall succumb to me! Or, you will die!"

* * *

Raven led the two teens with her to the abandoned mine entrance she had originally come from. Ark hadn't changed much, still dressed in leather armor, sword at his side, but now he wore a pack on his back, the contents unknown to her. Crystal had undergone an unusual change. She had changed from her white dress into leather armor instead. She wore a black shirt underneath and long leather pants to go with the armor. A bow and quiver of arrows were strapped to her back and her long hair was tied back and fitted into her shirt. She began to feel a little ill prepared, as the only weapon she had was the small iron ax she found in the bag Staze had left her.

They were definitely prepared, if nothing else. Raven pulled out her map and began to lead the way down into the tunnel. The first ten minutes were spent making their way into the dark depths of the mine. Ark had brought a torch to light the way, but once they had reach the lower depths where Staze had made sure to light the paths, they had little use for it. It took them another ten minutes or so to reach the room where Staze had been captured by their attackers.

"Is this the room?" Ark asked.

She simply nodded, feeling a sense of dread looking at the busted down wooden door. It was barely hanging on by it's hinges. Ark unsheathed his sword and Crystal drew her bow. Now ready, Ark opened the door and burst in. As expected, the room was deserted, but ark did a small thorough check to be sure. If you could call it that anyway. All he really did was check under the bed and behind the door. Everything else was wide open space.

Obvious signs of a struggle remained. The stone floor was still stained by the blood of a zombie and a few skeleton bones. The bed looked ruffled, probably from when Staze dragged her out of the bed. The furnaces were burnt and the crafting table was broken apart, most of the tools taken. The other bag lay on the floor by the bed, the one Staze had failed to grab. There were no clues as to where Staze could have been taken.

Raven tilted her head to the floor, feeling like she was going to start crying. That's when she saw it. Gunpowder. A very thin trail that was hard to make out in the stone, being a similar color coupled with the lack of light. But then that meant…had Staze killed a creeper before it exploded? She looked on the floor and out the door and could just barely make out tiny, miniscule, piles every ten-fifteen feet. She exited the room and called out to Ark and Crystal.

"Guys, I think I found a trail!" She exclaimed.

Ark and Crystal came running out immediately. "What did you find?" They both asked almost simultaneously.

She pointed out the trail to them, well more to Crystal, seeing as Ark couldn't see well enough to spot it.  
"I see it. I'll lead the way. Let's hurry!" Crystal said, taking the lead and setting a brisk pace for both of them. Raven took up the back and found herself hoping that Staze was still alive.

* * *

This section of the cave seemed darker than usual. Something else unnerved the group as the proceeded to follow the trail that seemed to become more difficult to spot. The torches that lined the wall weren't their normal mixture of orange and yellow. They were all, in fact, emitting an eerie green glow, casting less light, but more shadows across the cave walls. Raven already knew by appearance that these torches were enchanted with magic. The others had probably come to the same conclusion.

They kept moving, keeping their guard up. Eventually, they came upon a very old iron door, but this was not normal either. The glow emanated a strange cyan glow. Crystal was mesmerized by the strange door and reached out her hand to touch it. Immediately upon contact, the door sent out a bolt of blue energy that Crystal was not completely successful in dodging.

"Agh!" She screamed out as the bolt scraped her side.

Ark rushed to her. "Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She said in a slightly pained voice. "It just skimmed my side. I think if I took that head on though, I probably wouldn't be standing right now. Don't touch the door."

Raven approached the door cautiously, examining it, earning worried looks from her companions. If she looked close enough, she could just barely make out runes of the old language on the door. She recognized the language immediately and read the symbols. It was a protective spell, one meant to harm anyone who wasn't permitted to come in. Fortunately, she knew of the spell. It wasn't a particularly powerful spell, but it was definitely above novice.

She concentrated, murmuring her own choice of words. The door started glowing and vibrating violently. With the last of her spell complete, she thrust her hands forward. The door glowed brightly for a time then, with an outburst of magical energy, the blue aura around the door disappeared. The magical energy hadn't harmed her or her companions, thankfully. They both looked at her in shock.

"What did you do?" Crystal asked, having a dumbfounded look spread across her face.

"I made a counter spell for the door. We can pass through now." She said quietly, a little embarrassed at the sudden attention.

Crystal took the lead again, Ark taking the middle. "Well, let's go then."

They moved deeper within the cave, finding no more enchanted doors. It seemed that the door at the entrance was the only one to be enchanted. And why not? The people here had obviously not expected anyone to gain entry to this place.

Ark's head peaked up. "Do you hear that?" He asked.

This made them all stop and listen, tense and ready for action. They waited for many seconds.

"Agh…" It was very muffled, almost a whisper. Not even, lower than that. It was amazing that Ark was able to identify it.

"It sounds male." With that, Ark took the lead, running down the hall, weapon drawn. They followed suit, readying their weapons.

The screams got louder the further they went. I head Crystal gasp. "That's Staze. I know it is!" They all ran harder, faster, determined to help their friend. Quickly, they came upon an iron door. Ark burst into it without a seconds hesitation. He was the first to gasp.

Raven stared in horror, as she was sure the rest of the group was. A girl that looked almost exactly like her was standing over Staze, a stained black whip in her hand. She was dressed in a dark flowing robe, surprised at the sudden intrusion. But what horrified her the most was Staze. He was bent over, shirtless, his back bleeding profusely from many cuts and bruises. He hadn't yet lifted his head, his face twisted in pain and looking like it was waiting for the next blow.

The girl across the room simply smiled at all of us. An evil, cold, smile. "Ah, more visitors. You seem to have interrupted. How unfortunate."

Crystal was the first to speak, her face positively red with rage. She drew her weapon, quickly readying an arrow. She aimed it threateningly at the girl. "What have you done to Staze?!" She shouted at her.

The girl simply laughed like Crystal had made some sick joke. "Not as much as I am going to do to you in a minute. Unless of course, you plan to surren…" She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence, as Crystal let her arrow fly with deadly accuracy. If the girl had not moved her head sharply to the left as she did, it surely would have pierced her brain. She let out a shocked gasp as blood starting seeping from a slight wound on her forehead.

She reached up and touched her wound, not believing that she was actually struck. Her expression turned quickly from shock to one of extreme hatred. "You b***! I will destroy you!" She shouted at Crystal. He hands started to cackle with blue energy, transferring to her whip, which had now become as charged as a lighting creeper. "You will all not leave this place alive!"

**And that's it for chapter 8 guys. Sorry for taking so long to update. I'm afraid I've had a bit of a busy week with school and catching up with friends. Not to mention, I've had a few technical difficulties. Nevertheless I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't hesitate to smack the follow/favorite button in the top right-hand corner of the screen as well as leave me a review. Also, any OC requests must be sent via private message. Any reviews containing OC info will be deleted. Thank you all for your support. Until next time.**


	9. Escape

Chapter 9

Selene fired a blue bolt towards Crystal who was almost struck across the face, had Ark not reacted fast enough to tackle her. They both landed on the floor in a roll, getting up quickly. Ark drew his sword from his side as Selene let out another bolt. Instead of moving, however, Ark angled his sword to catch the blast. His sword absorbed the blast head on, but the rising heat and burst of electrical energy caused Ark to yell and drop his weapon. Selene, unfortunately, was having a hard time retracting her electrical bolt from the sword.

Ark and Crystal didn't miss their opportunity. Ark rushed at Selene while Crystal aimed another arrow towards her. Once Ark was close enough for a strike though, Selene had canceled out her attack. The sword glowed brightly, still cackling with electricity. She blocked Ark's first punch, but he didn't let up. He let out punch after punch with extreme speed and accuracy despite his limited sight. Selene was able to block the first three, but failed after he sent a punch to her side. He jumped and twisted his body, striking the witch's face with the heel of his boot.

She fell to the floor with a yell and Crystal at that moment, chose to let her arrow fly. It hit home, hitting Selene in the side. She screamed in anger, her eyes glancing back at Crystal, staring daggers at her. She didn't have the time to focus on her for long. Ark grabbed Selene by the neck and slammed her back down onto the hard stone floor. There was an audible crack and Selene's arms went limp, along with the rest of her body.

Unbelievable. The supposedly most feared witch in the land, beaten by two normal villagers of Oakwood. Raven stood shocked at the sudden turn of events. She had expected worse of the girl that now lay on the floor, unconscious or dead. Ark released her neck and walked back over to Crystal, who now seemed focused on the bare human figure that rested on the ground. Staze had managed to turn himself on his back, which must have hurt a lot due to the expression of pain pasted on his face. Ark knelt down in front of him and Raven, realizing she'd just been standing around the whole time, went to see if she could their injured friend.

"It's over Staze. You're ok now." Crystal said, holding Staze's hand. She was nearly in tears and Raven could tell she wanted to hug the fallen warrior, but she knew it would only likely cause him more pain.

Staze looked out of it to say the least. His eye weren't really focusing on anything. They almost carried a blank expression, but when Crystal's voice finally registered in his mind, he let out a little smile.

"Hey…Crystal. What's…up?" He asked in a hoarse and cackled tone. Crystal chuckled through her tears. Staze tried to join in, but it just ended in a pained grunt. Poor Staze. What had she done to him?

Staze turned his head towards her. He smiled. "Hey…Raven. Did…you get…the help?" He asked. She simply nodded, too emotional to do anything but. "Thanks." He said, still smiling.

He turned to Ark. His face showed a hint of recognition. "You're…that villager…" He said.

Ark knelt in front of him. "Yeah. I was the guy you yelled at the night of the attack." He said with a smirk. "Nearly scared the hell outta me."

Staze laughed. It was a small and pained one, but he laughed. Everyone else couldn't help but join in. the comedic relief of the situation was refreshing. Maybe they could all go home now, safe and sound.

Suddenly, Staze's eyes went wide and Ark's head twisted around. That was when she heard it. Crackling. Charging… Staze lept to his feet with a pained shout and jumped in front of the small group. What happened next was truly horrific to watch. A large bolt of blue electrical energy formed into a tightly knit ball slammed straight into Staze's bare chest. With a loud scream, he was thrown back against the wall, taking the full brunt of the attack. He actually against the wall for a split second before gravity took effect and he fell to the floor, unmoving.

They all looked back to the witch behind them, expressions of horror now turning to rage and anger. Selene had her hands outstretched from firing her attack. A broken bottle lay on the floor next to her. It's remaining contents, a pinkish-red liquid, was spewed on the stone floor. Selene looked as she had before, completely rid of the injuries that were just inflicted on her. Crystal screamed in rage, quickly firing an arrow off at her faster than Raven thought possible. Selene deflected it with ease before it ever came close.

She let out another scream of rage, taking two arrows from her quiver in each hand, then dropping the useless piece of equipment. Selene channeled her blue electrical energy to spread over her hands as she prepared herself for Crystal's upcoming attack. She moved swiftly, trying her hardest to slice, stab, hit Selene in any way she could. Surprisingly, Selene was able to block all her attempts. Eventually, Crystal left herself too open and Selene landed a hit on her side, then one on her stomach.

The effect was devastating. Crystal clutched her side instinctively, then was thrown back by the electrical discharge given off by her strike. Ark, thankfully, reacted quickly enough to catch her. Crystal clutched her stomach, obviously in a huge amount of pain. Ark laid her on the flattest portion of the stone floor he could find before turning back to Selene, who was smiling triumphantly, taunting Ark to be her next victim.

He looked at her with his hazed eyes, taking a second presumably to examine the situation. Then, he charged at her recklessly. He readied his arm like he was going to punch. Once he was almost within arm's reach, Selene shot out a small electrical bolt, meaning to stun him. He was expecting something like that though. He dropped to the ground almost too fast to see, sliding on his back across the stone floor towards his real target. The glowing sword by the witch's feet.

He grabbed it and swung for one of the witch's legs. Selen reacted quickly, jumping up to avoid his attack. Ark instantly made his body halt and boosted himself up with his legs to deliver what must have been a jaw shattering uppercut to Selene's chin. She was caught offgaurd, yelping and landing hard on her back . Ark went in for the finishing blow, his sword still glowing blue slightly from the leftover electricity.

_Clank!_ Metal struck what sounded like metal, but was something much more dangerous. Selene had once again remolded her magical electricity, now taking the shape of a cackling blue sword. She pushed Ark away from her with her feet, momentarily disorienting the warrior. He was still able to block the horizontal slice meant for his chest.

_Clink! Clank! Clink!_ They exchanged bows left and right. They seemed almost matched in the art of the swordsman, but as much as she was trying to hide it, Selene was beginning to tire. Raven could tell by her reaction time and the large amount of sweat forming on her forehead as she blocked and tried to counterattack. Ark seemed to know it as well because he increased the speed and ferocity of his strikes.

_Clink! Clink! CLANK!_ With one final slice, Ark struck his swords against Selene's with all his might. Selene's face turned to one of fear as her sword dissipated and she was flung back to the floor. Before she could move again, Ark placed the tip of his sword against her neck. She glared at him with a look of pure hatred.

"Surrender." He said. "You've lost."

Selene glared at him for a few more seconds before lowering her head. Even from this far back, she could still hear Selene's despicable chuckle. "You think you've won? You haven't seen _anything!_"

Upon saying this, she thrust out her hands towards Ark. Suddenly, the young man was thrown back and slammed against the wall. Ark grasped at his neck while levitated against the wall, desperately trying to loosen whatever force was tightening his throat. Selene laughed at his fruitless struggle.

"You are nothing! You never had a chance of winning the moment you stepped inside this cave! And now, you will suffer!" She yelled at him.

Raven could hardly believe all this was happening. Staze was still unconscious against the stone wall. Crystal could only watch in horror as her friend was being strangled to death and what was she doing? Nothing. Was she such a coward that she could do nothing to help her friends? She knew magic, but nothing as powerful as what she'd just experienced. She couldn't match that. Never.

Ark suddenly turned to her as he was trying to free himself, begging her to help. He reached out with one hand towards her, waving it. He was telling her to run. To save herself and the others. It was then that Selene turned to the rest of the group on the ground by her. She grinned sickeningly to her.

"Aw what's wrong Raven? Can't help your friends?" She taunted. "Well then…I'll make sure you're the last one I kill. That way, you can watch all the rest die!" She laughed hysterically, turning back to Ark and seemingly increasing the power she held over him. He let out a choked gasp, wanting air, but unable to catch even the slightest breathe.

Then, just like that, something inside her snapped. How dare this girl, this witch, do this to her only friends she ever had! She had never found such kind souls as the ones before her now. And this girl was going to take them all away. She wouldn't let that happen. Not in a million years!

She felt something stirring within her. It was like nothing she's ever experienced. Her body felt hot, literally, hot. It felt like she was on fire, but it wasn't a burning feeling. At least, not to her. Suddenly, her hands became aflame. She questioned herself about this, but one look back at Ark made her act quickly. Channeling this energy like she would any other magic, she moved a large amount of it to her hands, creating a rather large ball of flame. Selene, noticing the sudden change in lighting and atmosphere, looked at Raven with a bewildered expression. With a final swing of her arms, she flung the fireball towards Selene.

She quickly released her hold on Ark and dived out of the way, some of the flames catching on her dress. Ark dropped to the ground, gasping and clutching his neck. Selene looked back to Raven and with a loud shout of rage, began what looked like _charging!_

"How dare you! You'll pay for your insolence!" She shouted.

She released her attack, a large burst of blue electrical energy. Raven sent her own torrent of fire to her effortlessly. The two blasts collided in the middle of the room, giving off sparks and embers at the point of their collision. Furniture nearby was blow over, papers flew about the room, and potions fell off of shelves, smashing to the floor harmlessly.

"I won't let you hurt my friends!" She shouted and increased the power of her torrent, beginning to push back against Selene's blue electrical stream.

Selene put more of her magical energy into it, but it seemed like she was running out. Raven began taking steps toward her, pushing back even harder against the blue bolt. The torrent was getting closer to Selene. She was stronger than this witch. Raven knew it and now that she could see Selene's eyes, she could see she knew it too.

Suddenly, Selene cut off her electrical beam and surrounded herself in some sort of black shield. Protecting the user wasn't the only thing the shield did though. The torrent struck the shield and was instantly redirected towards the ceiling upon contact. The stone ceiling started to crack violently. Before Raven could withdraw her flames, there was a loud _boom!_ The ceiling collapsed. Pieces of stones, large and small, crashed to the floor in an avalanche, throwing up a heck of a lot of dust.

When it cleared, a large pile of stones separated her and her friends from the witch that was on the other side. Was she dead? Crushed by the stones perhaps? It didn't matter at the moment. No doubt anyone in the vicinity heard and felt that collapse. They had to leave, now. If the witch had any followers, henchmen, or otherwise, she didn't want to be here when they came to investigate.

She walked over to Ark, who was staring dumbfounded at her. Raven offered him her hand. He hesitated briefly before reaching out and accepting it. She helped him to his feet and together, they walked over to Crystal and Staze. Crystal had managed to stand, hand clutching her chest, but Staze was still out cold. Ark quickly got down to his knees to check for a pulse on his neck. When he removed his fingers, he spoke.

"It's weak, but it's there. We need to get him out of here now and get him medical attention." He took one of Staze's arms and tried to lift him, but he appeared to be too heavy for the exhausted warrior. Raven quickly took up his other arm and together they shouldered the weight of their fallen comrade.

Crystal led the way to the door they had entered from and opened it. Unfortunately, the doorway wasn't unoccupied. A creeper human mob girl stood in between them and their way out. She was holding tnt sticks in both hands, ready to use them if need be. Her face though, didn't appear like the hard expression a servant of a powerful being such as the witch who lived here, but instead appeared like that of a scared child who looked ready to fight for her life.

Crystal seemed to hurt to act and they were holding up Staze, so they couldn't defend themselves properly either. However, the next comment out of her mouth shocked them all.

"Oh my gosh! Is that…Staze?" She said in a timid voice. They simply nodded. She thought about something for a second, debating something in her head. For a whole minute, they stood where they were, their fate hanging on the decision of a single, frightened girl. "Follow me. I know another way out. The way behind me is crawling with Selene's henchmen and women. Please, come with me." She turned around and began hurredly making her way down the hallway.

They all looked at one another for a minute before following the strange girl. She could easily be leading them into a trap, but with no other way out and no one else to turn to, they followed the girl as she led them through the cave.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly and was greeted instantly with the familiar pain I'd become accustomed to over the last two or three days. No doubt that soon Selene's servants would come to collect him for another long period of torture. _But wait, these aren't the cavernous surroundings I remember._ I looked around quickly, turning my head from side to side, earning a most unpleasant headache.

I seemed to be in a tent. The ground beneath me was grass and the blankets I was covered in were much more comfortable than the filthy and uncomfortable mattress I had been sleeping on. What happened? I tried to sit up and was rewarded with a very bad pain in my chest. I looked down to see my chest had been bandaged again, but the blood looked relatively recent. Despite the bandages, I could still see some ash jutting out from underneath. When was I burned?

It came back quickly. The whipping from Selene, Raven and Crystal and Ark showing up, the fight that continued. They had won, hadn't they? The last thing I could remember was a bright blue light, but after that everything went fuzzy. Were my friends alright? Where was I? I need to get up!

I tried once again to at least get myself into a sitting position. I got about halfway up before my chest gave out and I slammed back onto the ground with a pained yelp. _Lord, I just want to know if my friends are ok. _

I heard rustling from outside. Could it be trouble? Were the people who brought me here friend or foe? I wasn't in any condition at all to fight. I laid back on the blankets I was placed upon and just waited for the ten flap to open and reveal the person outside.

A sense of de'ja vu overwhelmed me as Crystal came in with a bottle of water and bandages. She also had a bit of bread with her and…beef? My first initial reaction was again, wanting to get up and hug her, but I obviously couldn't do that. Instead, I just offered the best smile I could. She looked overjoyed, quickly setting her things on the grassy floor and wrapping me into a hug which I happily returned despite the pain. It was a good pain, for once.

"Crystal! I…" I started.

"Please don't say anything Staze. Just hug me." She said softly. So, I complied.

We must have stayed like that for quite a bit. I closed my eyes and breathed in her scent. The slightest hint of apple was mixed in with the rest of her bodily smells. It was nice. The moment, however, was broken with a very soft cough.

Both of us automatically realizing the situation, we pulled away from each other quickly and I looked to see our new visitors. Raven stood next to Ark at the tent flap. Ark's hand was over his mouth, indicating that he was the one who had interrupted. A third figure was half-hiding behind the tent flap. It took me a second to register who it was. Valerie?

They all came inside and we all exchanged greeting and heartfelt hellos. Even Valerie couldn't help but join in. The whole gang informed me about what happened after I asked. Apparently, I had been "stupid enough" to block a lightning attack with my body from Selene once they thought they had beaten her the first time. Ark explained how Crystal and him tried to fight Selene again, but were unsuccessful. He then revealed that Raven was, in fact, the one that saved them all with her sudden magical abilities. My face fell slightly as I heard that, but I turned my head away before any of them could notice. I let out a fake cough to hide my action.

I had been out for a whole day! Or at least, so they told me. I could hardly believe it, but with the injuries I sustained, it was hardly surprising if I thought about it. Crystal went and got the food and water she'd brought in and handed some to me. I took a cautionary bite, not yet knowing if I could stomach solid food. It was really good! I instantly dug in, not realizing how hungry I was until after the first bite. The meal couldn't have lasted more than five minutes with me. The group was astonished at my quick eating. I opened my mouth to apologize, but all that came out instead was a belch.

That sent the whole tent into a laugh fest, starting with Ark, then everyone else. I felt immense joy. I was back with people I knew, although I had just met Ark and Valerie. Even so, I felt safe. It was a great feeling. Eventually, everyone else filed out one by one, leaving me to rest and heal. All, except for Crystal. It was only then that I noticed the bandages were still laying on the ground by where the food used to be.

"I suppose these need to be changed?" I asked her.

She nodded. "It would be for the best that those be replaced." She said, gesturing to my ruby red tinted bandages. "Are you ok with me…"

"Might as well get it over with now right?" I said with a grin.

She grinned back and gathered the bandages. Carefully, she unwound the old, stained, bandages from my chest. It was only then that I really got the chance to examine my injuries.

The middle of my chest suffered burning. It was enough to leave a sizable burn scar. This strange mixure of light red and pink covered the pretty much the center of my chest, spreading outwards almost to my shoulders and stopped just short of my belly button. On the bright side, at least it removed the scarring I would have received from the flogging and the cuts. The burns looked to have stopped bleeding now at least.

I could see some scars on my arms from the knife torture Selene had put me through, but I didn't mind them that much. I couldn't see my back, but I figured it was bad. I don't think I needed to examine it at the moment. Crystal wounded the white fabric back around my chest area, covering up some of my burns for the time being. She tied off the bandages quickly and tightly, causing me to have to hold back a grunt. I don't think I was as successful as I wanted to be.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"No, it's all right. I'm ok, well, mostly." I said, trying to make light of my injuries with a small joke. It seemed to make Crystal chuckle and lighten up a tiny bit, which made me feel better.

"I can't believe you did that." She said.

I knew what she meant. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking straight. It seemed like the best option at the time." I said. "It was either that or you all would have gotten hurt."

"It could have gotten you killed!" She nearly yelled at me. I was a bit taken aback at her sudden ferocious response. She noticed it in change in facial expression and immediately hung her head down in shame. "I'm sorry." She said sadly.

"Hey, it's…" I started.

"No, it's not ok. We nearly lost you back in that cave system. I…nearly…" She couldn't go on.

It was then that her emotions hit me like a freight train. She was obviously distraught over my current state. She and I had known each other for a little over a year with my visits back and forth from the village. Maybe I hadn't noticed it before, but I seemed to have missed or misinterpreted the meaning behind all the things she's done for me. She seemed to go out of her way to reserve any books I asked for, always asked how long I'd be staying and if they could do something together.

A whole year this went on and I finally understood how she felt about me now, all within that one broken sentence. I reached over and grabbed her hand she had on the floor as she knelt next to me. I used my other hand to prop myself into a sitting position for the first time all night. She looked at me with wide, tear streaked eyes.

"I'm sorry." I said. Then, I knelt in and kissed her. She was shocked at first, but then returned it with the same passion I put into mine. Although it seemed like she had almost a year's worth of passion put into that kiss. We broke apart after a couple seconds, needing to breathe and contemplate what had just happened because I'm not sure either one of us comprehended it.

Crystal blushed after realization hit her. "Um…I really should let you rest!" She said in a quick and embarrassed tone. She gathered up the old bandages and I laid back down on my blankets. Once she had finished her task, we both just kind of stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Goodnight Staze." She said, heading for the tent flap, still trying to hold back what looked like more than one blush.

I doubted I was doing a better job than she was. "Goodnight Crystal." I managed to get out before she left the tent.

I was alone again, but now I had something to think about. We had kissed. Crystal and I had just kissed and to be perfectly honest, it felt amazing. I wondered if she felt the same way or if I had somehow screwed up in my thinking and embarrassed the hell out of her. I hoped it wasn't the second one. I laid my head back down onto the pillow arranged at the edge of my blankets and fell into a deep sleep.

**And that's all for Chapter 9 everyone! I hope you all enjoyed and again I apologize for the delay. Unfortunately, it seems I will be restricted to the weekends for getting updates for you guys. Nevertheless, I hoped the extra time put into this paid off and please don't forget to favorite/follow if you haven't already as well as leave a review for any comments, concerns, or otherwise. Until next time.**


	10. Back to Oakwood

Chapter 10

It wasn't quite light enough to be considered morning yet, but I was having trouble falling back to sleep. No matter what position I moved to, I couldn't get my body to relax enough to return back to slumber. I finally gave up after another five minutes and sat up.

"Agh." I gasped. It really stinks when I have to remember that my body has limits, especially now, but I suppose that's something that makes us human, huh? My head was a tad bit dizzy from laying down for so long without sleep.

I decided to go outside, just to get some fresh air. I'm not sure I could handle any explorations today if I wanted to. I lifted myself off the ground, rising shakily to my feet. It still felt weird to move. Every part of my body felt slightly uncertain. I made my way to the tent flap and pushed it aside to take a peak outside.

There were a couple other tents, two to be exact. They must be for the others. The campfire had been burned down to nothing more than light embers, barely giving off any smoke. Surprisingly, I spotted Valerie sitting on an oak log by the fire. Her shoulders were slumped and her head was hung low. Her green clothes sagged on her body. Was she upset about something? Her back was to me, so I couldn't see her face.

I slowly, but steady walked up to her. "Hey Valerie. You alright?" I asked a concerned tone.

She jerked her head up immediately with a loud snort. "Huh? What? I wasn't asleep!" She practically yelled. Her face was startled and seemingly stressed, but she relaxed when she saw it was just me. "Oh, hey Staze. You feeling any better?" She asked genuinely.

I took a seat on another log across from her. "Getting there. Still a little sore, well, maybe more than a little." I said with a small laugh.

She let out one as well. She kind of stared a bit at the fire embers, poking at them with a stick near her log. She rustled the embers a little bit before speaking again. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention that I fell asleep on watch. I'm sorry for doing so, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open! I'm so sorry, I just…" She said, her voice rising slightly.

"Hey," I said soothingly, trying to calm her down. I didn't want Valerie to wake up any of the others. "It's alright. Nothing happened, so no big deal right? Long as you're awake when you need to be, that's what counts right?"

"I guess." She said in a small voice. Man, I wonder what Selene did to her to make her like this, fearful of others. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"No need to apologize. If you want, I can take the rest of the shift from you and you can get some more rest." I offered.

"No. I told Crystal I'd look out for the camp. Besides," She paused, hesitating, "I kind of feel rested after that nap." She looked ashamed again that she'd fallen asleep while on "duty". We kind of sat there in silence for a couple minutes, small talk now exhausted. I focused my eyes on the embers, watching the leftover charcoal burn slowly, casting out tiny yellowish-red flames. It was kind of cool to see them sway in the wind, kind of like dancing.

"Thank you." I suddenly heard Valerie say.

"For what?" I asked, confused. "If anything, I should be thanking you for leading me and my friends out of that cave safetly."

She let out a small smile. "Well, I know it may sound stupid or silly, but you're the one who gave me a reason to leave." She looked up at me and I'm sure my face plainly showed the astonishment I was feeling. "You see, before you came, only days before in fact, I was tortured by Selene as well. Only, I did not possess the will power you have. I gave up, submitted to her. My first mission was actually to help bring you to her. Isn't that sad? A newly captured servant made to go enslave another." She paused, taking a long breath. "I felt terrible for bringing you to her, but I was fearful of Selene. Rumors had spread amongst the other soldiers that Selene was "all-seeing". She knew when something went wrong or right. She knew whether to punish you or reward you before you even had the chance to tell her the results of the mission. I was so…" She was starting to tear up now.

I moved over to the log next to her and wrapped what I hoped was a comforting arm around her in a loose hug. "It's ok. You don't have to explain yourself. I forgive you." I said softly.

"No…you need to know." She took a deep breath to calm herself, "Everyone is afraid of her, but that's not the only factor as to why her soldiers follow her without question. After the first mission or week, she decides if any of her new recruits are worth keeping. If she decides to keep one, she takes him or her aside privately, in a secluded area. When we see them again, it's like they've changed ever so slightly. If you talk about her to the other soldiers, they'll always hold her in the admirable light possible, even…even after they've been beaten."

This was shocking to hear. How could anyone hold someone as evil as Selene so highly, especially after receiving one her "beatings"? I clenched my fists as my mind flashed back to the last beating she gave me. "She must have cast some sort of spell on them or something. There's no way you could like that woman voluntarily." I said with more venom than I meant to have. Even Valerie looked at me, surprised I was even capable of saying such a thing. I was a bit surprised myself. I bowed my head. "Sorry, that wasn't right of me to say."

She continued after a brief hesitation, "Whatever it is she does, it scared me to death, but so did dying. But then you came. You were able to bear her torture. You never submitted. It was something of an inspiration to me, however stupid that may sound. I had honestly resolved that I would die because I would have refused her when my turn to see her privately came up. Then, your friends came and…offered me a way out, whether they knew it of or not. But you were the one to change my mind, made me realize that there are worse fates than death. So, I just wanted to say…" She looked up at me with a teary-eyed smile, "Thank you, again."

I had no idea what to say to that. That small speech had made me speechless. Seriously though, what was I supposed to say to that? Your welcome Valerie? It seemed a bit downgraded after the amazing thanks she had given me. "Um…No problem." I said with a chuckle. Valerie almost burst out laughing at my light-hearted reply. "But in all seriousness, I'm glad. I'm glad that you showed my friends away from harm and that you decided to join us."

There was a long pause. "Do you think she's…dead?" I asked Valerie.

Valerie didn't answer me immediately. She waited a couple seconds, pondering the possibility. "I'd like to think so, but I don't think so. Not unless one of your friends personally delivered the killing blow."

"Well, I'm told the ceiling collapsed on her. Isn't that enough?" I asked.

"She had some sort of magical barrier around her, so Raven tells me. I have a bad feeling that she's still alive." She said.

I sighed. She was probably right. As much as I didn't want to think it was true, if one of my friends didn't witness her death, the possibility of her being alive was high. I had already experienced some of her expertise in the magical arts. They weren't weak, that was for sure. "If that's true, then we should get back to Oakwood as soon as we can. I have no doubt that she'll try to attack the town again." I said, rising to my feet.

I looked up at the early morning sky. The shade had turned from a dark blue to a mixture of orange, blue, yellow, and red, signifying the start of the day and the sunrise. I looked to the east to see the yellow cube starting to peek it's head over the horizon. I smiled and took a deep breath. One of the most beautiful things in the world, in my opinion, is the simple rise and set of the son. Try as I might, I usually miss them while I lived and worked the chores around my house. Now, I basked in the sunlight, enjoying the sunrise for the first time in weeks. Valerie stood up with me and gazed in wonder at the sun. She probably hadn't seen the sun for the past couple days, since coming to capture me. I imagine she was enjoying it just as much as I was.

After the sun had risen a substantial distance, I unwillingly averted my gaze. It was about time we woke everyone up, ate, and make our way to Oakwood.

* * *

Man, one thing I'd forgotten over my last few days of imprisonment was the immense _heat_ of the sun in the morning. We slowly made out way back to Oakwood, having to stop numerous times on my behalf. My injuries prevented me from traveling too far without taking at least a couple minutes rest. I mentally beat myself up over it, even voiced it a few times. The group tried to assure me it was fine and that they were in no hurry, but it still irked me a little every time we had to stop.

I guess I should be thankful I could even walk. Raven. Ark, and Valerie were near the front of the group as we walked through the forest. Valerie's exit she led my friends out of must have been a bit of a ways away from the entrance of the abandoned mineshaft that I remember. We'd been walking for maybe an hour or so, but it seemed like days! Crystal walked a few feet behind with me, forming the rear.

We walked in silence for the most part. Ark and the two girls seemed to be having a nice chat, as an occasional chuckle, giggle, or some other sound could be heard every few minutes or so. I was too focused on keeping the aches and pains from my body under control as I walked. Dang it, I hated my own fragility!

"You ok Staze? You need another rest?" Crystal asked me, talking low so as not to tip off the others.

I sighed. I must have been displaying my emotions again. I considered trying to hide them momentarily, but it just seemed pointless in the long run. "No, I'm alright. I'm just thinking." I said as nonchalantly as I could.

Crystal slowed her face to put some more distance between us and the three people holding up the front. They didn't seem to notice. "What about?" She inquired, talking slightly louder.

"Nothing, just beating up myself I guess. I know I shouldn't, but it still bothers me that I'm slowing the group down." I said honestly.

Crystal looked like she was contemplating her response. "Staze…you don't have to push yourself so hard all the time. I know you always feel like you do, especially when you feel you have a limitation of some sort. But, please, take your time this time. We aren't in any hurry. We aren't being chased, so just take it easy, ok?" She said gently.

Even though every mental part of my brain was thinking the opposite, I knew she was right. She usually was. In the whole year I'd known her, she usually had a sound mind and made good decisions. I smiled. "Thanks Crystal. Your right. I'll let you know when I need to rest again, but right now I feel ok." I said.

She nodded, happy with my response. Something still seemed to be on her mind though. I wondered briefly if it could be about the kiss we'd shared last night. I still didn't know what to make of it. Sure, I'd been the one to make the move, but had it been the right one? Had my exhausted and disrepair state I'd been in last night confused my thinking? It would be a lie to say it hadn't haunted me all night. I wanted so badly to ask her about it now, but wouldn't that just make things too awkward to bring it up so soon? Ugh! I am so not good at this.

"Staze, can I ask you something?" She asked.

I gulped, already nervous about the possible question hanging on the edge of her lips. "What about?" I asked.

"It's about last night." She said.

I was practically sweating on the inside. So it was about the kiss last night! Crap! Had my instincts been wrong? Had I just jeopardized our awesome friendship? "Yeah?" I managed to get out.

"Well, while we explained what happened to you last night, you acted like you coughed when we told you about how Raven fought against the other witch. I think I caught the slightest dissatisfied look on your face. Why was that?" She asked.

I nearly let out a huge breath of relief, but I knew that would definitely raise suspicions if I dared do that. "Oh, that. Um…why do you think I wasn't happy with that part of the story." I asked, trying to find out her feelings on the subject before I gave her my explanation.

"You know what I mean Staze. I've known you for a year. I know when you're trying to hide something. What bothered you? The fact that Raven used magic to save us all?" She inquired.

I couldn't really tell if she felt touchy on the matter of witchcraft, but I figured the only way I would know her true feelings was if I just spoke my mind. "Well, to be completely honest, I dislike magic, whether it be used for good or for evil. If you've read the book I gave you, the Bible is very clear that witchcraft and the use of magic is wrong. It is not of God and he does not condone it, therefore, I don't believe it should be done." I said honestly.

"If that is true, then why did you help Raven instead of leaving her to the village?" She asked.

"Because, even if someone has done a wrong or sin, I believe that it may be forgiven. I try to pray every night and throughout the day in my head to be forgiven for my sins I have committed for that day and all the ones before. I also ask for forgiveness for others, not just myself. We are all guilty of sin, born into it even. As much as we may try not to sin, it is likely that we do so daily, whether we realize it or not. So, is it not important that we all be in a state of nearly constant repentance? Unfortunately, that's probably not possible for many people, myself included, perhaps everyone. I still feel that I try though, and I believe that is worth something." I said, getting all of my thoughts out in the open.

Crystal remained silent throughout my small assortment of words. I hoped she understood my perspective on things because I know a great many would disagree with views. Especially those who either don't believe in a higher power, question it, or those who practice witchcraft and do not want to admit that it wrong. Those are always the hardest to reach.

"I see. I would definitely need to read more of the book you've given me to contemplate your words further, but from what I can judge just from your words now, they seem good." She concluded. I was more than a little relieved to hear that from her, believe me.

Ark turned his head to us for the first time since we started talking and noticed how far we tarried behind. He cupped his hands over his mouth. "Do we need to stop a minute?" He asked, shouting a bit.

Crystal looked at me to answer. To be honest, I felt like I could use a couple minutes rest. I almost said no, but then Crystal's words came back to me. _You don't have to push yourself so hard all the time_. Maybe she was right. "Yeah, if you don't mind. I'd like to take a few, but not too long." I shouted back to him. Crystal turned her head to me and smiled in appreciation that I had taken her advice. It was a nice feeling, receiving a smile from her. We all stopped under a shady tree nearby and took a small rest.

* * *

"Halt!"

We stopped in front of the gate to Oakwood. A villager guard that stood next to two large iron golems held up his, ordering us to stop. Strange, before there was no need for villager guards. The golems were more than capable of taking out any stray mobs. Why the increase in security?

"State your names and your business!" He said. Man, he was a bit too loud for me.

"Oh come on John, you know who I am." Ark answered him.

"I know you Ark, but not your three companions. New regulations require those entering the city to be questioned upon arrival at the gate." John said to Ark.

"What new regulations? And Why?"

John hesitated before continuing, "A few scout from our security forces spotted a rather large massing of mobs a few days out yesterday. They said they looked like they were on their way here. They said it was a large force, an army even! We need every able bodied person ready to defend our town! Including you, Ark."

This was a bit much to take in. Another attack was coming for the town? So soon, and a larger one at that! What could be so important that Selene specifically target this town? Selene! This must mean that she's still alive. I wonder if she'll show up herself this time. John looked over us all. His eyes stopped on me.

"D***! What happened to you!" I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at the sudden outburst from John. I bet I looked my best at the moment. He examined me more closely. "Wait, I know you! You're Staze, the one everyone talks about in the village! Crap! I'm so sorry. The village elder has been wanting to speak with you for some time. Please, follow me!" He turned his back and started walking. "Edgar, take my place! I need to see the village elder! It's important!" He shouted to a guard on the wall. He nodded and ran across the top to the nearest stairway down. He turned back to us. We were still standing at the gate, still a bit taken aback. The village elder was one of the most important and respected person in any villager village. Seeing him was a great honor. "Let's go, all of you. We don't have any time to waste!" He shouted.

Ark, Valerie, and Raven followed John immediately. Crystal gave me a questioning look. I shrugged and began walking to catch up with John.

**That's all for chapter 10 everyone. I am very sorry for taking so long to update. To tell you the truth, I was having a bit of writer's block, among other things that were happening during the last couple weeks. Again, I apologize and I'm also sorry that this chapter is a bit short. I promise the next chapter will be longer. Nevertheless, I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and please don't forget to follow/favorite if you haven't already. Please don't forget to leave a review.**


	11. The Village Elder

Chapter 11

We weaved through the gravel covered streets, small crowds, and various buildings until we finally reached our destination. The elder's home. It was a modest home, probably one like most business owners in the village owned, but with the elder being held in such high stature, you think he would live in a rather luxurious house right? Nope. It was one of the things I respected about the guy, to be honest. The house was a rather decent size, one-story house with a larger attic than most. The house was made from oak wood, both logs and planks. The windows on the house were tinted slightly to make it difficult to peer inside. The rook was made from spruce wood staircases, turned upside down. The elder's house was actually the one I modeled mine after. If my house were still standing and you put the elder's house next to it for a side by side comparison, they hardly looked different, except for the windowsills I had on my house. They were not present on the elder's home.

John walked up to the door and knocked three times. Quick footsteps approached the door. It opened to reveal a young villager man, maybe early twenties or so. The first thing that took me aback was his height! He was tall! Maybe like 6'8 or 6'9? Holy cow! It wasn't until after a few seconds that I began to notice what he was wearing. He wore a dark brown t-shirt and _long_ black pants. They had to have been hand-tailored to accommodate his height. His eye were a dark hue of green and his hair was cut short, jet black. I was a bit surprised really. I expected the elder of the village to be, I don't know….older. The young man looked us up and down before speaking. "Good afternoon John. To what do we owe the pleasure?" He asked politely. _Wait…we?_

"Hello Enderen." John said. "Is your father in? I have very urgent business with him. There's someone I think he'd like to meet." He gestured over to me.

_Ah, so this must be the elder's son._ I stepped forward and held out my hand. "Nice to meet you. My name is Staze." He reached for my hand, but hesitated halfway. I wondered why, before looking down at my own hand. The scars from the torture I received still marked me, however little, on my hands. Perhaps he was concerned that he would hurt me. "It's alright. These injuries have healed enough for physical contact." I said in a joking manner.

He chuckled and took my hand in a firm handshake. "Alright then, my name is Enderen, as you probably overheard from John. Nice to meet you as well. Come in, all of you. My father is waiting."

The inside of the elder's house was nothing real special. The kitchen was to the right as soon as you entered the house. It was much smaller than the one I used to have, but I suppose since there were only two people living here, it wouldn't be much of an issue. A staircase leading up into the attic was set directly to the left. We passed both pretty quick and I wasn't able to examine neither the kitchen nor go up to see the attic. But then, I suppose there were more serious issues at hand.

We walked straight through a tiny hallway into what looked like the living room. A fireplace was aflame, a pig carcass roasting slowly over the fire. A rug was laid in the center of the large room and a few paintings hung around the walls and there was a small table and chairs placed on the opposite end of the room. A single clock hung alone on the wall in an item frame. But what caught my attention was the wooden rocking chair by the fireplace. Or, more specifically, the person sitting in it. I wasn't able to get a good look, but I could see the man was well in his years. His hair was gray, the chair slowly rocking back and forth. A cane rested by the chair.

Enderen walked up behind the old man. "Father, the one you asked for has come."

Immediately, the old man stopped rocking. He placed his hands on the chair's arms and lifted himself up, grabbing his cane as he did so. He turned to face us all. Now I could thoroughly observe his character. Like I said before, his hair was gray, but his face looked surprisingly smooth, with only a few wrinkles. He wore a long, dark brown robe, the traditional villager uniform that, for the most part, only the cube-villagers wore. His eyes looked worn, but wise, and he had a white beard that covered his face.

"So, you've finally come." He said. His voice was dry and a tad bit hoarse. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "Please, sit down. Enderen, will you please tend to the pig. We don't want to give our guests burned pork, now do we?"

"No, I'll get back to it." He said, moving back to the fireplace and spinning the pole that was stuck through the carcass. He still turned his head toward us, ready to listen to whatever his father had to say. Sat down on the rug, which was surprisingly comfortable while we waited for the elder's news.

The old man turned his attention back to us. "My name is Bardon, the village elder. I have watched over this village for many years, tending to the high matters of the village. This village has seen peace ever since you came and helped us build our walls and protection, Staze. It were only a couple weeks ago that the attacks have started getting bad. Normally, the village only saw an attack maybe once every two weeks and even then it was small. But now, ever since that assault by the mobs almost a week ago, the village security force has been on high alert." He paused a moment. "I trust John has told you about our scout's report?"

It took me a moment to realize that he was talking to me. I nodded. "Yes sir, he touched on it lightly." I responded.

"Well, here is the real report. They counted close to over a thousand mobs and maybe a hundred human mobs of all kinds. The scouts predicted from the distance of their last camp, it would take them approximately four to five days to transport an army that large. Maybe three. "

My expression turned from normal to shock, then to horror as I processed the information. I looked around to see the others had similar expressions on their faces. A thousand mobs? The village itself only held maybe a population of two hundred and fifty. An attack like that would _annihilate _Oakwood.

Bardon nodded. "I see you understand the seriousness of our situation. We've never faced a threat this serious to our village before."

"What did you want to speak with me about? What can I do to help?" I asked.

Bardon smiled. "Staze, you've helped immensely to ensure the prosperity of Oakwood. You helped lay out plans for the construction of our wall, took part in building in, and upgraded our security force in ways none of us would have thought of. A year ago, we were barely a village of fifty, now we have grown to well over three hundred. For that, we are grateful. But, I'm afraid we must ask of your services again. We have the brightest minds of our security force trying to come up with a plan of defense. I want you to join them. So far, they've sent a lot of our able-bodied men into training and mining. We have accumulated a lot of iron ore and are building as many Iron Golems as we can, but I fear it will not be enough just to have them, in the long run. I want you to go tomorrow to our top security executives and discuss a firm plan of action. With all of you working on it, I'm confident you all will come up with the best plan possible." He turned to Ark and Crystal. "I've heard you are good with a bow." He said to Crystal.

"I am a decent shot sir." She replied modestly.

"My sources say otherwise. Crystal, I want you to train with our archers. Make sure they're in shape." He said.

"Yes sir." She said, never looking away from him.

Bardon moved over to Ark. Ark fixed his hazy eyes on his figure. "I understand that you are very talented in combat, Ark. Your fellow soldiers seem to think highly of you, though you're superiors are doubtful of your skills. Why is that, do you think?" He asked Ark.

"Sir, I am partly blind. I rely more on my senses in battle then I do my sight. My superiors see that as a weakness no matter how many soldiers I best in training." He said, holding back his frustration.

"Well, I understand how you may feel about that, but I think I want you in charge of training the new cadets along with the rest of the soldiers. I believe that your lack of sight is not just a weakness, but a strength in battle. Most cannot hone in on their other senses and rely heavily on sight in a battle. Perhaps you could change that." He said.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." He said. He tone seemed lighter, having received this new promotion.

He faced Valerie and Raven. "What about you two? What are your specialties?"

Valerie hesitated a bit before speaking. "I..um..I am very good with explosives…sir." She said shyly, not used to this kind of attention.

"As I would expect of a creeper human mob. We haven't seen any around for a while now. Would you feel comfortable helping set up some defenses around the walls?" He asked.

She looked up at him, surprised. "How did you…"

He let out a small laugh. "Girl, I've been around a long time. I've met a great deal of human mobs. I can distinguish them very well." His light tone was gone the next instant, exchanged for a more serious one. "Can you help us?"

"I…will do my best sir. I promise." She said .

He smiled and nodded, satisfied with her response. He turned to Raven. "And what about you miss?"

Raven looked at us, searching for a hint of what to do or say. "Um…I don't really have a specialty sir. I will, however, assist you in any way I can." She said, bowing her head.

He chuckled. "No need to be so mannerful, though I do appreciate it. I'm sure we can find something for you, don't you worry."

"Father," Enderen interjected. "Dinner will be ready soon." He said from over by the fireplace.

He smiled at lovingly back at his son. "Well then, I suppose we better get ready to eat." He turned back to us. "You will stay with us for the night, yes?" It wasn't really a question, but I don't think any of us would have denied his offer if it had been.

"Yes sir." We all responded almost at the same time. This sent us all in a bit of a giggle fest that wasn't quenched until the table was set and dinner was ready to served.

* * *

It was late at night. Dinner had been full of fun, good laughs, and good food. Now, though, everyone was upstairs, sleeping. Bardon and Enderen had been kind enough to find a few extra spare blankets and beds for us to use. I opted for the blankets so I could stay down here in the living room, in front of the fireplace. I tossed another log inside, smothering the flames a bit and making embers fly. Everyone else was sharing the attic with the two owners of the house. Don't get me wrong, it's not like there wasn't enough room to fit about ten more people up there, I just wanted to have some peace and quiet. Some time to think.

Sure, it'd been easy to agree to help set up a strategy for the coming battle in a few days, but actually trying to come up with at least a solid idea to present to the militia or security leaders was another story entirely. I'd been at it for maybe an hour now, trying to piece together something, but unfortunately pieces were the only things I had at the moment.

It was hard to believe. We had just made it back to town and already there was a new threat. A force of a thousand, maybe more mobs and human mobs were marching, intent on taking Oakwood away from its inhabitants. I had at least been told how many people the town could spare for it's own army, but it barely numbered two hundred. It was a good size for the town, but it paled in comparison to Selene's army.

Selene. Why did she want this town so badly? There really had to be some reason she kept targeting this particular town. I mean, heck, there were thousands of town across the world of Minecraftia. Why pick this one? Well, one thing's for sure, she's still alive and she's coming with a vengeance. I couldn't let the good people of this town down. We had to win.

The sound of soft footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned my head to the hallway, wondering who would be up at this time of night. Well, besides me anyway. I turned my head away from the flames to see Crystal standing in the frame of the hallway. She had changed from her armor and warrior attire to what looked like a very long shirt. She hesitated there, as if searching for an invitation of some sort.

"Hey." I said. "What's up?"

She smiled at my casual response and took that as her cue to enter. She sat down on the floor next to me in front of the fireplace. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep. I was just checking to see if you were awake down here." She said. "Also, it's a bit cold up there for me. I thought it would be warmer by the fire.

"Ah." I said. "Where'd you get that?" I asked, pointing to the long white shirt she had on. It was also just a tiny bit big for her.

"Oh this?" She giggled. "Enderen gave me this when I asked if there were any spare clothes I could use for the night."

"I see…" I looked over her outfit again and chuckled at how comical it looked on her. Then, she shifted her body. It was then that I caught a small glimpse of her legs. She wasn't wearing any pants. I twisted my head sharply to my right as fast as I could. Thankfully, I hadn't seen anything other than her legs.

"What?" She asked, unaware of what had just happened.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." I said, trying to hide my blush I felt on my face.

"You only say that when something isn't important or to mask something . Which one was it?" She asked, sending an accusing glare at me.

"The latter." I said honestly, returning her gaze. "It's nothing to…" I stopped mid-sentence. She had crossed her arms and gave me a pouty, slightly angered, look at me. I couldn't have her look that way. I bet she knew it too. I sighed. "I…saw a flash of your legs." I said, turning away from her, a little ashamed of myself.

"Oh!" She simply said. Her tone revealed her shock and embarrassment as well. I didn't need to see her face to know she was probably blushing.

I refocused my gaze back on the flames of the fireplace. I returned to my previous thoughts, desperately trying to figure out some sort of plan to present in the morning. I bowed my head. _Lord, please, I need your guidance. I want to save as many people as I can from the coming attack. Please grant me some wisdom in battle strategy. _I thought for a couple minutes or so, but nothing but fragments came to mind, and try as I might, I couldn't figure out how to fit the fragments into a firm image. Maybe it was because I was tired. I'm sure it was probably heading on midnight.

"Staze," Crystal said, jarring me from my thoughts. I had almost forgotten she was down here with me. Gosh, I can be such an idiot sometimes. "I, um, left my blankets upstairs when I came down. I don't want to risk waking anyone up at this hour, so would it be alright if…" She stopped there, unsure of how to ask her question, counting on me to finish her thought.

It took me a couple seconds to realize what she was suggesting. "Oh. Um…" I had a small arrangement of blankets down here by the fireplace, but it was only enough for one person. "You take the blankets. I'll sleep by the fire." I said, lying down on the hard wooden floor. It wasn't necessarily a bad floor, it was smooth anyway. I don't think it would take me too long to fall asleep.

"No way. We can share. I don't bite." She said. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, don't give me that. Put your manners and gentlemanly-ness aside for one night and get over here." She said, crawling under the assortment of blankets. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with a guy and a girl sharing a blanket. Come on." She started to put on her pouty face again, but I waved her off with a hand.

"Don't start that again, I'm coming." I said with a small chuckle. Before I got under the covers though, I sat myself on my knees and bowed my head. I said The Lord's Prayer, along with my own short request for forgiveness for my sins, as well as asking for the forgiveness of others. Once I had finished, Crystal got out from underneath the covers and immediately took my same position.

"Could you please say that prayer again so I may pray?" She asked me.

I repeated it for her and she nodded and prayed. She had such a soft voice when she prayed. The closest thing that I could equate to it would have to be how I would imagine an angel prays. I sat in admiration as she added a small prayer of her own after saying The Lord's Prayer. I smiled, happy that she felt it important to pray before she went to sleep.

We both crawled underneath the covers, me being particularly careful to avoid her lower half of her body. "Goodnight Crystal. Sweet dreams." I said. I closed my eyes for a second, then felt something wrap itself around my waist. I opened my eyes immediately to see Crystal's hands overlapped across my chest. Her head was rested on my back. Good thing too, because I felt my face heating up again.

"Goodnight Staze. Sleep well." She said groggily. She must have been half asleep already. That was fast. She was probably exhausted.

It wasn't long before I heard her soft snoring. I smiled and closed my eyes, listening to her light snore. I don't remember much after that. I guess I must've fallen asleep too.

* * *

When I awoke again, it was morning. Also, Crystal had moved from her last position when I fell asleep. Now, she laying on her stomach, resting her hands and head on my chest! I tried to dismiss the feeling of embarrassment off, but it wouldn't cease to leave. I heard footsteps descending the stairs from the attic. I tried sliding my body out from under her, but once I started, her body moved closer instinctually and wrapped me in another embrace. The footsteps were getting closer to the living room. I didn't want to have to wake her up, but now it seems I was going to have to.

Before I had the chance to, however, Enderen walked right in. "Good morning…." He stopped when he saw us. He blinked, looking like he wanted to ask something. "Uh, should I leave…" He whispered over to me.

I held up my index finger, indicating the universal "one minute" sign. He nodded and walked back out to the front of the house. From the sound of it, I think he went into the kitchen.

I grabbed one of her shoulder blades and gently shook her. She squinted her eye and groan sleepily before slowly opening them. "Good morning." I said.

Her eyes widened and she realized she was wrapped around me. She shot off me faster than a lightning bolt, sitting on her knees, face turning brighter than a tomato. I scratched the back of my head nervously, unsure of how to handle this little awkward situation. "Um…Enderen is in the kitchen making breakfast. I imagine the others will be up soon." I said, trying to relieve some tension.

"Right…I'd better go get dressed then." She got up from the makeshift bed. "I'll be back down shortly." She said and she headed through the thin hallway. I listened for her footsteps, but all I could hear was whatever Enderen was doing in the kitchen. After a minute or so, I stood up. I looked myself up and down. I'll tell you one thing, I needed a new set of pants. The ones I was wearing were tattered and torn up pretty good. I spied my shirt from last night by the fire. I had taken it off because of the heat. I picked it up.

It was warm, but smelled like ash. I picked it up and headed to the kitchen, to see if Enderen had any spare clothes he could loan me. Although, with his height, maybe I should just stick with the pants I had on.

The kitchen was simple in design. A small 8X8 space taken up by chests, furnaces, and crafting tables. Enderen was standing over a rather interesting setup. He was standing over an iron table with a fire underneath it, cooking what looked like eggs. They all smelled good. Enderen noticed my presence. "Good morning Staze. Did you sleep well?" He said with smile.

"Not too bad…" I said, scratching the back of my head a second time. It's a bad habit to get into because you usually do it when you're nervous, confused, or something. It's a very telling trait. I focused myself back on the issue at hand, clothes. "Enderen, you wouldn't happen to have any spare wool lying around, would you?" I asked.

"Maybe. Let me check if we have any here." He said. "We keep plenty handy just in case we need to cut a quick dishcloth or something." He moved toward the nearest chest, quickly opened it, and threw me some white wool. Then, he went back to his eggs, flipping one over. "Use the crafting bench over there." He pointed to the bench on his right.

"Thanks." I said, grateful.

I walked over to the crafting bench and quickly arranged the wool like I would any armor piece. First thing I needed was pants. Once it was arranged, the wool converged together into one large blob, then flattened out and split to make the leggings. The process only took a couple seconds, but it was still cool to watch. I made a shirt as well, then went back to the living room.

"Hey Enderen, make sure no one goes in the living room for like a minute, would ya please?" I said as I walked out.

"Yeah." I heard him answer back.

I took off my ratty clothes and put on the new white ones. They fit perfectly, as any crafting table item did for its user. Another one of the many mysteries of the bench. "Hey Enderen, need any help in the kitchen?" I yelled.

"If you can cook, come on in." He called back.

* * *

"Oh my gosh, that was great!" Valerie exclaimed as she finished up the rest of her ham.

We all had just finished with our breakfast and it was pretty good if I do say so myself. Enderen was a pretty good cook. His eggs were amazing! I was in charge of the ham, which I had to slow cook in the furnace. It came out pretty ok, though it was missing something and I had yet to figure out what it was. Everyone else at the table seemed to have enjoyed their meal though.

Bardon glanced over at the clock on the wall. His eye narrowed. I looked myself and saw that it was nearing 8:00. "Enderen, it is time. Take Staze and go to see the village militia chiefs. They are set to meet soon." He said to his son. He nodded and rose from his chair. I rose as well. I said a quick goodbye to everyone before I followed Enderen out of the house.

The village outside with bustling with activity, more so than I was used to. People carrying carts filled with iron, food, and other good moved this way and that. Soldiers ran through the streets, returning to their posts on the wall or otherwise. Enderen kept a brisk pace and walked through the crowd with a confident and authoritative step. Some people actually parted for him, while others seemed too much in a rush to notice who he was. It goes to show how much respect those two had in the village.

"So, Staze, do you have any ideas for our defenses?" He asked as we walked.

"I have bits and pieces, but I'm still trying to fit them all together. I pray that it will all become clear during the meeting." I said.

"You believe in the Lord?" He asked.

The question caught me off guard. Not because I didn't believe and have faith in God, but because he knew about it. Not many people, in fact I only knew a few, even knew about the Lord. "You're a Christian as well?" I asked.

He simply nodded as we walked. We turned a corner, barely dodging a villager that was carrying a pile of wood on his shoulder. "The new books in the library, copies of the ones you donated, have been checked out by a few villagers, myself included. I have read a bit of the Old Testament, the first hundred pages or so. It is really intriguing."

"Well, if you want my advice, read the New Testament before you go back and read the Old one. There is a lot of specifics in the New Testament about how to live life according to Jesus Christ, our savoir, who is our Lord." I said.

"I shall then, thank you." He said. We rounded another bend. The number of civilians decreased incredibly. Now, all we saw were soldiers, training in combat, archery, and anything else that was deemed as the duty of a soldier. A few soldiers nodded to us as we pasted by and Enderen and I either nodded back or waved.

Eventually, Enderen stopped in front of a medium-sized hut. It was a small, standard villager hut, made out of oak logs and cobblestone. A single oak door was provided the only means of entry. Muffled voices could be heard from inside. "This is it. Are you ready to meet the militia chiefs?" He asked.

"Yeah, let's go." I said.

Enderen walked up to the door, knocked, then opened the door for me to walk through. I took a deep breath, then proceeded inside.

**And that's it for chapter 11 everyone. I hope you enjoyed and please don't forget to follow/favorite if you haven't already. As always, don't forget to leave a review or comment to let me know how I'm doing, how you feel about the story so far, or whatever. Credit goes to KillerWow for the OC, Enderen. I hope to use to his full potential and not to disappoint. Until next time.**


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